Land Area
China
9,596,961 km²
Largest
India
3,287,263 km²
34.3% of largest
China is 2.92× larger than India
Population
India
LARGEST
1.42B
PEOPLE
China
99.7% OF LARGEST
1.41B
PEOPLE
India has 1.00× the population of China
GDP
China
LARGEST
$17.96T
India
20.8% OF LARGEST
$3.74T
Armed Forces
Active Personnel
China
LARGEST
2.04M
TROOPS
India
71.0% OF LARGEST
1.45M
TROOPS
China has 1.41× the active personnel of India
Air Force
China
LARGEST
3.29K
AIRCRAFT
India
66.4% OF LARGEST
2.18K
AIRCRAFT
China has 1.51× the aircraft of India
Naval Assets
China
India
Wealth
Gold Reserves
China
LARGEST
2,279.6
Metric Tonnes
India
38.4% OF LARGEST
876.2
Metric Tonnes
Foreign-Exchange Reserves
China
LARGEST
$3.27T
Reserves · excl. gold
India
17.5% OF LARGEST
$570B
Reserves · excl. gold
Billionaires
China
MOST
473
billionaires
India
42% OF MOST
200
billionaires
Oil
Proven Reserves
China
LARGEST
26
Billion barrels
India
17.3% OF LARGEST
4.5
Billion barrels
Production & Consumption
China
NET IMPORTER
Production
4.1M b/d
Consumption
15.4M b/d
−11.3M b/d net
India
NET IMPORTER
Production
0.7M b/d
Consumption
5.3M b/d
−4.6M b/d net
Trade (Import/Export)
China
$3,753.1B
Exports
$3,753.1B
Imports
$3,219.3B
Trade Balance
+$533.7B
Trade Surplus
India
$827.4B
Exports
$827.4B
Imports
$918.3B
Trade Balance
$-90.9B
Trade Deficit
Drinks per Person
Coffee
kg / person / yr
China
consumption
India
consumption
Tea
kg / person / yr
China
consumption
India
consumption
Beer
litres / person / yr
China
consumption
India
supply
Wine
litres / person / yr
China
consumption
India
consumption
Alcohol
litres pure alcohol / person / yr
India
consumption
China
consumption
Smoking
% of adults 15+ who smoke
China
India
Per-capita — consumption where available, else FAOSTAT supply · alcohol = litres of pure alcohol; smoking = % of adults 15+ (WHO)
Olympic Medals
China
330
Gold
262
Silver
227
Bronze
819
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 727
❄ Winter: 92
India
10
Gold
10
Silver
21
Bronze
41
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 41
❄ Winter: 0
Religious Demographics
Religious Distribution
Religious Composition by Country
China
India
Age Demographics
Median Age
China
39.0
YEARS
10
30
50
70
India
28.2
YEARS
10
30
50
70
Age Distribution
Population breakdown by age bracket (percentage)
Demographic Insights
Age Gap
China is 10.8 years older (median) than India
Youth Population
India has the highest youth population at 52.5% (under 30)
Elderly Population
China has the highest elderly population at 19.0% (60+)
Global Statistics
| Metric |
China
|
India
|
|---|---|---|
| Travel & Mobility | ||
| Passport Power visa-free destinations |
85
|
62
|
| Tourist Arrivals per year |
65.7M
|
17.9M
|
| Culture & Prestige | ||
| Nobel Laureates all-time |
8
|
12
|
| 3-Michelin-Star Restaurants current guide |
9
|
0
|
Figures as of 2026. Sources: IMF, EIA/OPEC, Henley Passport Index, UNWTO, Forbes, Michelin Guide, Nobel Foundation.
Cost of Living
|
Metric
All indices use New York City as base (100)
Lower values indicate lower costs.
|
China
|
India
|
|---|---|---|
| Cost of Living Index |
|
|
| Rent Index |
|
|
| Groceries Index |
|
|
| Restaurant Price Index |
|
|
| Local Purchasing Power |
|
|
| Common Expenses Comparison | ||
| Meal at Inexpensive Restaurant (USD) | $5 | $3 |
| Three-Course Meal for 2 (USD) | $25 | $15 |
| Monthly Rent - City Center (USD) | $600 | $250 |
| Monthly Rent - Outside Center (USD) | $380 | $150 |
| Monthly Utilities (USD) | $50 | $35 |
| Internet (60 Mbps, USD) | $20 | $12 |
| Monthly Public Transport Pass (USD) | $30 | $15 |
Historical Data
Basic Information
| Metric | China | India |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1412600000 | 1417200000 |
| Area (sq km) | 9596961 | 3287263 |
| Capital | Beijing | New Delhi |
| Official Language | Mandarin Chinese | Hindi and English (official), 21 other scheduled languages |
| Currency | Renminbi (Yuan, CNY) | Indian Rupee (INR) |
| Government Type | Unitary one-party socialist republic | Federal parliamentary constitutional republic |
Military Strength
| Metric | China | India |
|---|---|---|
| Active Personnel | 2,035,000 | 1,445,000 |
| Reserve Personnel | 510,000 | 1,155,000 |
| Total Military Personnel | 2,545,000 | 2,610,550 |
| Defense Budget (USD) | $292,000,000,000 | $81,400,000,000 |
| Tanks | 5,651 | 4,614 |
| Armored Vehicles | 35,000 | 12,000 |
| Self-Propelled Artillery | 4,120 | 100 |
| Towed Artillery | 6,246 | 4,175 |
| Rocket Projectors | 2,430 | 266 |
Economy
| Metric | China | India |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (USD) | $17,963,200,000,000 | $3,736,900,000,000 |
| GDP Per Capita (USD) | $12,720 | $2,637 |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 4.0% | 7.8% |
| GINI Index (Income Inequality) | 38.5 | 35.7 |
| Currency | Renminbi (Yuan, CNY) | Indian Rupee (INR) |
| Direct Currency Comparison (1 unit of row currency equals X units of column currency) | ||
| China Currency | 1.00 (Same) | 0.0721 Weaker |
| India Currency | 13.8740 Stronger | 1.00 (Same) |
| USD Base Exchange Rates (All calculations use USD as the base currency) | ||
| Currency | CNY | INR |
| 1 USD equals | 6.8086 CNY Updated: 2026-06-27 | 94.4628 INR Updated: 2026-06-27 |
Interesting Comparisons & Trivia
Did You Know?
China is 2.9 times larger in area than India.
China has the highest GDP per capita at $12,720 among the selected countries.
China has the largest economy with a GDP of
$17.96 trillion.
China has the largest active military personnel with 2,035,000 troops.
China has the largest air force with 3,285 aircraft.
China has the largest navy with 777 vessels.
China Fact: China produces more than 1.4 billion tons of rice annually, feeding nearly 20% of the world's population.
India Fact: India has the world's largest film industry, producing over 1,800 films annually, more than twice Hollywood's output.
China vs India: Key Comparisons
Economy: China's GDP of $18.0T is 4.8x larger than India's $3.7T — both among the world's largest economies.
Population: India's population of 1.4B is 1.0x larger than China's 1.4B.
Area: China covers 9,596,961 km², making it 2.9x larger than India.
Military: China fields 2Million active troops vs India's 1.4Million.
Trade: China runs a trade surplus of $534B while India has a trade deficit of $91B.
Life Expectancy: China leads with a life expectancy of 77 years vs India's 71.
Data compiled from World Bank, IMF, Global Firepower, SIPRI, Numbeo, and Pew Research.
Last updated June 2026.
Sources & methodology