CNY
…
EUR
…
Land Area
China
9,596,961 km²
Largest
Italy
301,340 km²
3.1% of largest
China is 31.85× larger than Italy
Population
China
LARGEST
1.41B
PEOPLE
Italy
4.2% OF LARGEST
58.92M
PEOPLE
China has 23.87× the population of Italy
GDP
China
LARGEST
$19.5T
Italy
13.1% OF LARGEST
$2.55T
Armed Forces
Active Personnel
China
LARGEST
2.04M
TROOPS
Italy
8.4% OF LARGEST
170K
TROOPS
China has 11.97× the active personnel of Italy
Air Force
China
LARGEST
3.29K
AIRCRAFT
Italy
26.2% OF LARGEST
862
AIRCRAFT
China has 3.81× the aircraft of Italy
Naval Assets
China
Italy
Wealth
Gold Reserves
Italy
LARGEST
2,451.9
Metric Tonnes
China
93.0% OF LARGEST
2,279.6
Metric Tonnes
Foreign-Exchange Reserves
China
LARGEST
$3.27T
Reserves · excl. gold
Italy
2.6% OF LARGEST
$85B
Reserves · excl. gold
Billionaires
China
MOST
473
billionaires
Italy
15% OF MOST
73
billionaires
Oil
Proven Reserves
China
LARGEST
26
Billion barrels
Italy
1.9% OF LARGEST
0.5
Billion barrels
Production & Consumption
China
NET IMPORTER
Production
4.1M b/d
Consumption
15.4M b/d
−11.3M b/d net
Italy
NET IMPORTER
Production
0.1M b/d
Consumption
1.2M b/d
−1.1M b/d net
Trade (Import/Export)
China
$3,753.1B
Exports
$3,753.1B
Imports
$3,219.3B
Trade Balance
+$533.7B
Trade Surplus
Italy
$773.9B
Exports
$773.9B
Imports
$721.8B
Trade Balance
+$52.1B
Trade Surplus
Drinks per Person
Coffee
kg / person / yr
Italy
consumption
China
consumption
Tea
kg / person / yr
China
consumption
Italy
consumption
Beer
litres / person / yr
Italy
consumption
China
consumption
Wine
litres / person / yr
Italy
consumption
China
consumption
Alcohol
litres pure alcohol / person / yr
Italy
consumption
China
consumption
Smoking
% of adults 15+ who smoke
China
Italy
Per-capita — consumption where available, else FAOSTAT supply · alcohol = litres of pure alcohol; smoking = % of adults 15+ (WHO)
Olympic Medals
Italy
283
Gold
255
Silver
300
Bronze
838
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 667
❄ Winter: 171
China
330
Gold
262
Silver
227
Bronze
819
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 727
❄ Winter: 92
Religious Demographics
Religious Distribution
Religious Composition by Country
China
Italy
Age Demographics
Median Age
Italy
47.9
YEARS
10
30
50
70
China
39.0
YEARS
10
30
50
70
Age Distribution
Population breakdown by age bracket (percentage)
Demographic Insights
Age Gap
Italy is 8.9 years older (median) than China
Youth Population
China has the highest youth population at 36.5% (under 30)
Elderly Population
Italy has the highest elderly population at 31.5% (60+)
Global Statistics
| Metric |
China
|
Italy
|
|---|---|---|
| Travel & Mobility | ||
| Passport Power visa-free destinations |
85
|
189
|
| Tourist Arrivals per year |
65.7M
|
57.2M
|
| Culture & Prestige | ||
| Nobel Laureates all-time |
8
|
21
|
| 3-Michelin-Star Restaurants current guide |
12
|
15
|
| UNESCO Heritage Sites inscribed sites |
56
|
59
|
Figures as of 2026. Sources: IMF, EIA/OPEC, Henley Passport Index, UNWTO, Forbes, Michelin Guide, Nobel Foundation, UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
Cost of Living
|
Metric
All indices use New York City as base (100)
Lower values indicate lower costs.
|
China
|
Italy
|
|---|---|---|
| Cost of Living Index |
|
|
| Rent Index |
|
|
| Groceries Index |
|
|
| Restaurant Price Index |
|
|
| Local Purchasing Power |
|
|
| Common Expenses Comparison | ||
| Meal at Inexpensive Restaurant (USD) | $5 | $15 |
| Three-Course Meal for 2 (USD) | $25 | $60 |
| Monthly Rent - City Center (USD) | $600 | $850 |
| Monthly Rent - Outside Center (USD) | $380 | $600 |
| Monthly Utilities (USD) | $50 | $155 |
| Internet (60 Mbps, USD) | $20 | $30 |
| Monthly Public Transport Pass (USD) | $30 | $40 |
Health
Healthcare spending, capacity and outcomes. Sources: World Bank / WHO — the year tag shows each figure’s vintage; “—” means the country doesn’t report that metric.
Health spending / person
Italy
China
Physicians per 1,000
Italy
China
Hospital beds per 1,000
China
Italy
Diabetes prevalence
China
Italy
Obesity prevalence
Italy
China
Suicide rate per 100k
China
Italy
Want the long view?
GDP, population, reserves & trade for China vs Italy — charted over the decades.
Basic Information
| Metric | China | Italy |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1406585000 | 58915656 |
| Area (sq km) | 9596961 | 301340 |
| Capital | Beijing | Rome |
| Official Language | Mandarin Chinese | Italian |
| Currency | Renminbi (Yuan, CNY) | Euro (EUR) |
| Government Type | Unitary one-party socialist republic | Unitary parliamentary republic |
Military Strength
| Metric | China | Italy |
|---|---|---|
| Active Personnel | 2,035,000 | 170,000 |
| Reserve Personnel | 510,000 | 18,300 |
| Total Military Personnel | 2,545,000 | 188,300 |
| Defense Budget (USD) | $292,000,000,000 | $29,800,000,000 |
| Tanks | 5,651 | 200 |
| Armored Vehicles | 35,000 | 3,500 |
| Self-Propelled Artillery | 4,120 | 89 |
| Towed Artillery | 6,246 | 70 |
| Rocket Projectors | 2,430 | 21 |
Economy
| Metric | China | Italy |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (USD) | $19,498,039,388,043 | $2,551,556,954,100 |
| GDP Per Capita (USD) | $13,862 | $43,309 |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 4.6% | 6.4% |
| GINI Index (Income Inequality) | 36.0 | 34.3 |
| Currency | Renminbi (Yuan, CNY) | Euro (EUR) |
| Loading current exchange rates… | ||
Interesting Comparisons & Trivia
Did You Know?
China is 31.8 times larger in area than Italy.
That's a massive difference!
China has 23.9 times more people than Italy.
With over a billion people, that's more than 1/8 of humanity!
Italy has the highest GDP per capita at $43,309 among the selected countries.
China has the largest economy with a GDP of
$19.5 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.
China vs Italy: Key Comparisons
Economy: China's GDP of $19.5T is 7.6x larger than Italy's $2.6T — both among the world's largest economies.
Population: China's population of 1.4B is 23.9x larger than Italy's 59M.
Area: China covers 9,596,961 km², making it 31.8x larger than Italy.
Military: China fields 2Million active troops vs Italy's 170Thousand.
Trade: China runs a trade surplus of $534B while Italy runs a trade surplus of $52B.
Life Expectancy: Italy leads with a life expectancy of 84 years vs China's 78.
Data compiled from World Bank, IMF, Global Firepower, SIPRI, Numbeo, and Pew Research.
Last updated August 2026.
Sources & methodology