China: Population and Key Statistics

AsiaCapital: Beijing#2 by population

With 1.42 billion people, China is the world's second most populous country after India. With a GDP of roughly $18.3 trillion, it is the world's second-largest economy after the United States, and it alone accounts for about one-third of global manufacturing output.

After decades of rapid growth, China now faces a serious demographic transformation: its population has been declining since 2022, and its median age (39.6) is rising quickly. Even so, the country continues to lead the world in areas such as electric vehicles, solar panels, and high-speed rail.

Population (2025)
1.4 billion
1,406,585,000 people
GDP (2025)
$19,498bn
nominal, current US dollars
GDP per capita
$13,862
Life expectancy
78.0
years
Area
9,562,910
km²
Population density
147
people/km²
Median age
39.6
Internet usage
91.6%

Military Strength

Military expenditure (2024)
$313.7bn
313,658 million dollars
Share of GDP
1.71%
NATO guideline: 2%
Share of government spending
5.06%
Spending per capita
$223
per year, per person
Armed forces (2020)
2.5 million
2,535,000 active personnel
Armed forces per 1,000 people
1.8
0.33% of the labor force

Expenditure figures come from SIPRI and personnel counts from the IISS, both distributed through the World Bank. Source years differ by indicator, so each figure is shown with its own year.

How China compares

China and Japan — core indicators
010 b20 b30 b40 bGDP per capita ($)Life expectancy (years)Internet usage (%)GDP per capita ($) — China: 13.862Life expectancy (years) — China: 78Internet usage (%) — China: 91,6GDP per capita ($) — Japan: 35.951Life expectancy (years) — Japan: 84Internet usage (%) — Japan: 85,5
ChinaJapan

The indicators use different scales, so the chart is a rough visual comparison only. For exact figures see the full side-by-side comparison.

Data sourcesPopulation and social indicators: UN World Population Prospects, World BankEconomy: IMF World Economic Outlook, World BankMilitary: SIPRI and IISS, distributed through the World BankLast refreshed: 2026-08-26