Land Area
China
9,596,961 km²
Largest
Mexico
1,964,375 km²
20.5% of largest
China is 4.89× larger than Mexico
Population
China
LARGEST
1.41B
PEOPLE
Mexico
9.1% OF LARGEST
129.15M
PEOPLE
China has 10.94× the population of Mexico
GDP
China
LARGEST
$17.96T
Mexico
7.4% OF LARGEST
$1.32T
Armed Forces
Active Personnel
China
LARGEST
2.04M
TROOPS
Mexico
13.6% OF LARGEST
277.15K
TROOPS
China has 7.34× the active personnel of Mexico
Air Force
China
LARGEST
3.29K
AIRCRAFT
Mexico
15.0% OF LARGEST
493
AIRCRAFT
China has 6.66× the aircraft of Mexico
Naval Assets
China
Mexico
Wealth
Gold Reserves
China
LARGEST
2,279.6
Metric Tonnes
Mexico
5.3% OF LARGEST
120.3
Metric Tonnes
Foreign-Exchange Reserves
China
LARGEST
$3.27T
Reserves · excl. gold
Mexico
6.8% OF LARGEST
$222B
Reserves · excl. gold
Billionaires
China
MOST
473
billionaires
Mexico
5% OF MOST
22
billionaires
Oil
Proven Reserves
China
LARGEST
26
Billion barrels
Mexico
22.3% OF LARGEST
5.8
Billion barrels
Production & Consumption
China
NET IMPORTER
Production
4.1M b/d
Consumption
15.4M b/d
−11.3M b/d net
Mexico
NET EXPORTER
Production
1.9M b/d
Consumption
1.9M b/d
+0.0M b/d net
Trade (Import/Export)
China
$3,753.1B
Exports
$3,753.1B
Imports
$3,219.3B
Trade Balance
+$533.7B
Trade Surplus
Mexico
$681.4B
Exports
$681.4B
Imports
$644.0B
Trade Balance
+$37.4B
Trade Surplus
Drinks per Person
Coffee
kg / person / yr
Mexico
consumption
China
consumption
Tea
kg / person / yr
China
consumption
Mexico
consumption
Beer
litres / person / yr
Mexico
consumption
China
consumption
Wine
litres / person / yr
China
consumption
Mexico
consumption
Alcohol
litres pure alcohol / person / yr
Mexico
consumption
China
consumption
Smoking
% of adults 15+ who smoke
China
Mexico
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
Mexico
13
Gold
27
Silver
37
Bronze
77
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 77
❄ Winter: 0
Religious Demographics
Religious Distribution
Religious Composition by Country
China
Mexico
Age Demographics
Median Age
China
39.0
YEARS
10
30
50
70
Mexico
29.2
YEARS
10
30
50
70
Age Distribution
Population breakdown by age bracket (percentage)
Demographic Insights
Age Gap
China is 9.8 years older (median) than Mexico
Youth Population
Mexico has the highest youth population at 51.5% (under 30)
Elderly Population
China has the highest elderly population at 19.0% (60+)
Global Statistics
| Metric |
China
|
Mexico
|
|---|---|---|
| Travel & Mobility | ||
| Passport Power visa-free destinations |
85
|
159
|
| Tourist Arrivals per year |
65.7M
|
42.2M
|
| Culture & Prestige | ||
| Nobel Laureates all-time |
8
|
3
|
| 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
|
Mexico
|
|---|---|---|
| Cost of Living Index |
|
|
| Rent Index |
|
|
| Groceries Index |
|
|
| Restaurant Price Index |
|
|
| Local Purchasing Power |
|
|
| Common Expenses Comparison | ||
| Meal at Inexpensive Restaurant (USD) | $5 | $8 |
| Three-Course Meal for 2 (USD) | $25 | $35 |
| Monthly Rent - City Center (USD) | $600 | $500 |
| Monthly Rent - Outside Center (USD) | $380 | $350 |
| Monthly Utilities (USD) | $50 | $80 |
| Internet (60 Mbps, USD) | $20 | $25 |
| Monthly Public Transport Pass (USD) | $30 | $20 |
Historical Data
Basic Information
| Metric | China | Mexico |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1412600000 | 129150000 |
| Area (sq km) | 9596961 | 1964375 |
| Capital | Beijing | Mexico City |
| Official Language | Mandarin Chinese | Spanish |
| Currency | Renminbi (Yuan, CNY) | Mexican Peso (MXN) |
| Government Type | Unitary one-party socialist republic | Federal presidential constitutional republic |
Military Strength
| Metric | China | Mexico |
|---|---|---|
| Active Personnel | 2,035,000 | 277,150 |
| Reserve Personnel | 510,000 | 81,500 |
| Total Military Personnel | 2,545,000 | 358,650 |
| Defense Budget (USD) | $292,000,000,000 | $7,000,000,000 |
| Tanks | 5,651 | 0 |
| Armored Vehicles | 35,000 | 695 |
| Self-Propelled Artillery | 4,120 | 0 |
| Towed Artillery | 6,246 | 375 |
| Rocket Projectors | 2,430 | 0 |
Economy
| Metric | China | Mexico |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (USD) | $17,963,200,000,000 | $1,322,000,000,000 |
| GDP Per Capita (USD) | $12,720 | $10,240 |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 4.0% | 3.5% |
| GINI Index (Income Inequality) | 38.5 | 45.4 |
| Currency | Renminbi (Yuan, CNY) | Mexican Peso (MXN) |
| Direct Currency Comparison (1 unit of row currency equals X units of column currency) | ||
| China Currency | 1.00 (Same) | 0.3879 Weaker |
| Mexico Currency | 2.5780 Stronger | 1.00 (Same) |
| USD Base Exchange Rates (All calculations use USD as the base currency) | ||
| Currency | CNY | MXN |
| 1 USD equals | 6.8086 CNY Updated: 2026-06-27 | 17.5525 MXN Updated: 2026-06-27 |
Interesting Comparisons & Trivia
Did You Know?
China is 4.9 times larger in area than Mexico.
China has 10.9 times more people than Mexico.
With over a billion people, that's more than 1/8 of humanity!
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.
China vs Mexico: Key Comparisons
Economy: China's GDP of $18.0T is 13.6x larger than Mexico's $1.3T — both among the world's largest economies.
Population: China's population of 1.4B is 10.9x larger than Mexico's 129M.
Area: China covers 9,596,961 km², making it 4.9x larger than Mexico.
Military: China fields 2Million active troops vs Mexico's 280Thousand.
Trade: China runs a trade surplus of $534B while Mexico runs a trade surplus of $37B.
Life Expectancy: China leads with a life expectancy of 77 years vs Mexico's 75.
Data compiled from World Bank, IMF, Global Firepower, SIPRI, Numbeo, and Pew Research.
Last updated June 2026.
Sources & methodology