Land Area
China
9,596,961 km²
Largest
Taiwan
35,980 km²
0.4% of largest
China is 266.73× larger than Taiwan
Population
China
LARGEST
1.41B
PEOPLE
Taiwan
1.7% OF LARGEST
23.57M
PEOPLE
China has 59.93× the population of Taiwan
GDP
China
LARGEST
$17.96T
Taiwan
4.4% OF LARGEST
$786.1B
Armed Forces
Active Personnel
China
LARGEST
2.04M
TROOPS
Taiwan
8.0% OF LARGEST
163K
TROOPS
China has 12.48× the active personnel of Taiwan
Air Force
China
LARGEST
3.29K
AIRCRAFT
Taiwan
25.5% OF LARGEST
837
AIRCRAFT
China has 3.92× the aircraft of Taiwan
Naval Assets
China
Taiwan
Wealth
Gold Reserves
China
LARGEST
2,279.6
Metric Tonnes
Taiwan
18.6% OF LARGEST
423.9
Metric Tonnes
Foreign-Exchange Reserves
China
LARGEST
$3.27T
Reserves · excl. gold
Taiwan
$0B
Reserves · excl. gold
Billionaires
China
MOST
473
billionaires
Taiwan
—
Oil
Proven Reserves
China
LARGEST
26
Billion barrels
Production & Consumption
China
NET IMPORTER
Production
4.1M b/d
Consumption
15.4M b/d
−11.3M b/d net
Trade (Import/Export)
China
$3,753.1B
Exports
$3,753.1B
Imports
$3,219.3B
Trade Balance
+$533.7B
Trade Surplus
Taiwan
$482.8B
Exports
$482.8B
Imports
$448.9B
Trade Balance
+$33.9B
Trade Surplus
Drinks per Person
Coffee
kg / person / yr
China
consumption
Taiwan
Tea
kg / person / yr
China
consumption
Taiwan
Beer
litres / person / yr
China
consumption
Taiwan
Wine
litres / person / yr
China
consumption
Taiwan
Alcohol
litres pure alcohol / person / yr
China
consumption
Taiwan
Smoking
% of adults 15+ who smoke
China
Taiwan
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
Taiwan
9
Gold
10
Silver
23
Bronze
42
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 42
❄ Winter: 0
Religious Demographics
Religious Distribution
Religious Composition by Country
China
Taiwan
Age Demographics
Median Age
Taiwan
42.8
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
Taiwan is 3.8 years older (median) than China
Youth Population
China has the highest youth population at 36.5% (under 30)
Elderly Population
Taiwan has the highest elderly population at 24.4% (60+)
Global Statistics
| Metric |
China
|
Taiwan
|
|---|---|---|
| Travel & Mobility | ||
| Passport Power visa-free destinations |
85
|
— |
| Tourist Arrivals per year |
65.7M
|
— |
| Culture & Prestige | ||
| Nobel Laureates all-time |
8
|
— |
| 3-Michelin-Star Restaurants current guide |
9
|
— |
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
|
Taiwan
|
|---|---|---|
| Cost of Living Index |
|
N/A |
| Rent Index |
|
N/A |
| Groceries Index |
|
N/A |
| Restaurant Price Index |
|
N/A |
| Local Purchasing Power |
|
N/A |
| Common Expenses Comparison | ||
| Meal at Inexpensive Restaurant (USD) | $5 | N/A |
| Three-Course Meal for 2 (USD) | $25 | N/A |
| Monthly Rent - City Center (USD) | $600 | N/A |
| Monthly Rent - Outside Center (USD) | $380 | N/A |
| Monthly Utilities (USD) | $50 | N/A |
| Internet (60 Mbps, USD) | $20 | N/A |
| Monthly Public Transport Pass (USD) | $30 | N/A |
Historical Data
Basic Information
| Metric | China | Taiwan |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1412600000 | 23572049 |
| Area (sq km) | 9596961 | 35980 |
| Capital | Beijing | Taipei |
| Official Language | Mandarin Chinese | Mandarin Chinese |
| Currency | Renminbi (Yuan, CNY) | New Taiwan Dollar (TWD) |
| Government Type | Unitary one-party socialist republic | Unitary semi-presidential republic |
Military Strength
| Metric | China | Taiwan |
|---|---|---|
| Active Personnel | 2,035,000 | 163,000 |
| Reserve Personnel | 510,000 | 1,657,000 |
| Total Military Personnel | 2,545,000 | 1,820,000 |
| Defense Budget (USD) | $292,000,000,000 | $16,800,000,000 |
| Tanks | 5,651 | 1,180 |
| Armored Vehicles | 35,000 | 3,275 |
| Self-Propelled Artillery | 4,120 | 405 |
| Towed Artillery | 6,246 | 1,180 |
| Rocket Projectors | 2,430 | 117 |
Economy
| Metric | China | Taiwan |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (USD) | $17,963,200,000,000 | $786,100,000,000 |
| GDP Per Capita (USD) | $12,720 | $33,330 |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 4.0% | 3.8% |
| GINI Index (Income Inequality) | 38.5 | 33.6 |
| Currency | Renminbi (Yuan, CNY) | New Taiwan Dollar (TWD) |
| Direct Currency Comparison (1 unit of row currency equals X units of column currency) | ||
| China Currency | 1.00 (Same) | 0.2137 Weaker |
| Taiwan Currency | 4.6794 Stronger | 1.00 (Same) |
| USD Base Exchange Rates (All calculations use USD as the base currency) | ||
| Currency | CNY | TWD |
| 1 USD equals | 6.8086 CNY Updated: 2026-06-27 | 31.8604 TWD Updated: 2026-06-27 |
Interesting Comparisons & Trivia
Did You Know?
China is 266.7 times larger in area than Taiwan.
That's a massive difference!
China has 59.9 times more people than Taiwan.
With over a billion people, that's more than 1/8 of humanity!
Taiwan has the highest GDP per capita at $33,330 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 Taiwan: Key Comparisons
Economy: China's GDP of $18.0T is 22.9x larger than Taiwan's $786B — both among the world's largest economies.
Population: China's population of 1.4B is 59.9x larger than Taiwan's 24M.
Area: China covers 9,596,961 km², making it 266.7x larger than Taiwan.
Military: China fields 2Million active troops vs Taiwan's 160Thousand.
Trade: China runs a trade surplus of $534B while Taiwan runs a trade surplus of $34B.
Life Expectancy: Taiwan leads with a life expectancy of 81 years vs China's 77.
Data compiled from World Bank, IMF, Global Firepower, SIPRI, Numbeo, and Pew Research.
Last updated June 2026.
Sources & methodology