placestats

Last European coloniser: Never a European colony · Largest religious group: Religiously Unaffiliated. These are labels that describe the country, not numbers, so they are never compared with other measures. The numbers behind them, such as population shares, are.

China

Against upper middle income countries, China ranks 1st of 58 on health and 46th of 51 on governance. Each ranking counts only the countries that report that score, so the totals differ and the two ranks can’t be compared directly. Both compare China with countries of similar wealth. That is the only kind of ranking that tells you something a ranking by income does not already show.

How it has changed

Every measure China reports, over all the years it has been published. Pick one. Hover or use the arrow keys to read a year. Gaps in a line are years with no data. They are left open, not filled in.

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Scores by area

Each score averages the measures in one area, such as health. Each measure is first put on a common scale and turned so that higher is always better. Zero is the average country in an average year. One point is a typical gap between countries (a standard deviation), so +1 means about one typical gap above average. These are summaries, not measurements. See how the country scores are built and how the topic scores compare with each other.

ScoreValueRank, all countriesRank, similar incomeMostly income?
Governance score 2025-1.20166 of 17946 of 51moderate +0.53
Health score 2023+0.805 of 1931 of 58moderate +0.32
Education score 2023+0.6779 of 19922 of 57proxy +0.81
Wellbeing score 2022+0.9115 of 1101 of 35high +0.80
Equality score 2022+0.3771 of 16520 of 53high +0.64
Infrastructure score 2024+1.6611 of 2101 of 58proxy +0.90
Gender score 2024-0.06138 of 18641 of 57moderate +0.37
Environment score 2024-0.55169 of 21341 of 58moderate -0.33
Labour score 2025+0.3777 of 19518 of 56high +0.79

The last column shows how closely each score just tracks national income. The number is its link with GDP per person (the value of everything a country produces, divided by its people), from −1 to +1. A score marked proxy is mostly a measure of how rich the country is. Its rank among all countries says little that GDP per person does not. That is why the rank among similar-income countries sits beside it.

The measures behind them

Every measure reported for China, grouped by area. Some measures have no agreed better direction, such as population growth, inflation and military spending. They are listed here but left out of every score, since there is no fair way to say which way is better. Some names use technical terms: PPP means adjusted for what money buys in each country, HDI is a United Nations score combining life expectancy, schooling and income, and a Gini indexmeasures how unequally income is shared. Each measure’s own page explains it.

crime

Conflict deaths0per 100,000 people2025higher is worse
Armed conflict present01 if any conflict, else 02025higher is worse
Homicide rate0.502per 100,000 population2020higher is worse

culture

Religious attendance2.79%% of respondents2022no agreed direction
Religion very important3.25%% of respondents2022no agreed direction
Frequent prayer0.838%% of respondents2022no agreed direction
Confidence in religious institutions20%% of respondents2022no agreed direction
Divorce rate1.8divorces per 1,000 people2012no agreed direction
Marriage rate9.6marriages per 1,000 people2012no agreed direction
Religiously unaffiliated89.6%% of population2020no agreed direction
Christian share1.78%% of population2020no agreed direction
Muslim share1.82%% of population2020no agreed direction
Women in a union69.5%% of women aged 15-492021no agreed direction

demography

Median age39.1years2023no agreed direction
Age at childbearing29years2023no agreed direction
Population1,406,585,000people2025no agreed direction
Population growth-0.17%% per year2025no agreed direction
Urbanization66.3%% of population2025no agreed direction
Population 65+14.9%% of population2025no agreed direction
Population 0-1415.4%% of population2025no agreed direction
Fertility rate1.01births per woman2024no agreed direction
Birth rate6.77per 1,000 people2024no agreed direction
Net migration-268,126people2025no agreed direction
Migrant share of population0.1%% of population2024no agreed direction

economy

Corporate tax rate25%% of profit2018no agreed direction
HDI0.797index, 0 to 12023higher is better
Inequality-adjusted HDI0.67index, 0 to 12023higher is better
GDP per capita (PPP)$25,067international $2025higher is better
GNI per capita (PPP)$20,701international $2021higher is better
GDP per capita (market)$13,793US$2025higher is better
GDP growth4.96%% per year2025no agreed direction
Inflation0.0596%% per year2025no agreed direction
Trade openness38%% of GDP2025no agreed direction
FDI inflows0.41%% of GDP2025no agreed direction
Tax revenue7.02%% of GDP2024no agreed direction
Government consumption16.7%% of GDP2024no agreed direction
Military spending1.71%% of GDP2024no agreed direction
Employment in agriculture21.7%% of employment2025no agreed direction

education

Primary completion99%% of children2025higher is better
Expected schooling15.5years2023higher is better
Mean years of schooling8.04years2023higher is better
Education spending3.9%% of GDP2023no agreed direction
Primary enrollment99.6%% gross2024higher is better
Secondary enrollment92.3%% gross2012higher is better
Tertiary enrollment76.9%% gross2024higher is better
Adult literacy96.7%% of adults2020higher is better
Compulsory schooling9years2025no agreed direction
Pupil-teacher ratio16.4pupils per teacher2018higher is worse
Researchers2,107per million people2023higher is better

environment

CO2 per capita9.32t CO2e per capita2024higher is worse
Forest area24%% of land area2023higher is better
Agricultural land55.4%% of land area2023no agreed direction
Protected land15.6%% of land area2025higher is better

gender

Gender Inequality Index0.132index, 0 to 12023higher is worse
Gender Development Index0.976ratio of women's HDI to men's2023no agreed direction
Women's political empowerment0.587index (0-1)2025higher is better
Women ministers8.33%% of ministers2024higher is better
Women in parliament26.5%% of seats2025higher is better
Married by 182.8%% of women aged 20-242020higher is worse

governance

Corruption Perceptions Index43index (0-100, higher = cleaner)2024higher is better
Political rights (FH)7rating (1-7, 1 = most free)2025higher is worse
Civil liberties (FH)6rating (1-7, 1 = most free)2025higher is worse
Refugees originating10.8per 100,000 people2024higher is worse
Electoral democracy0.072index (0-1)2025higher is better
Liberal democracy0.039index (0-1)2025higher is better
Participatory democracy0.036index (0-1)2025higher is better
Free and fair elections0index (0-1)2025higher is better
Regime type0regime category (0-3)2025higher is better
Political corruption0.554index (0-1)2025higher is worse
Freedom of expression0.045index (0-1)2025higher is better
Freedom of association0.03index (0-1)2025higher is better
Political civil liberties0.036index (0-1)2025higher is better
Civil society participation0.219index (0-1)2025higher is better
Control of corruption0.0887index (approx. -2.5 to 2.5)2024higher is better
Rule of law-0.579index (approx. -2.5 to 2.5)2024higher is better
Government effectiveness0.896index (approx. -2.5 to 2.5)2024higher is better
Regulatory quality-0.0713index (approx. -2.5 to 2.5)2024higher is better
Voice and accountability-1.65index (approx. -2.5 to 2.5)2024higher is better
Political stability-0.153index (approx. -2.5 to 2.5)2024higher is better

health

Life expectancy78years2024higher is better
Infant mortality4.1per 1,000 live births2024higher is worse
Under-5 mortality5.7per 1,000 live births2024higher is worse
Health spending5.94%% of GDP2023no agreed direction
Suicide rate8.95per 100,0002021higher is worse
Hospital beds5.63per 1,000 people2023no agreed direction
Basic water access96.1%% of population2024higher is better
Basic sanitation97.3%% of population2024higher is better
Child stunting4.5%% of children under 52024higher is worse
Adolescent fertility5.2births per 1,000 women aged 15-192024higher is worse
Maternal mortality16per 100,000 live births2023higher is worse
Skilled birth attendance99.9%% of births2016higher is better
Alcohol consumption4.58litres per adult per year2020no agreed direction
Tobacco use22.8%% of adults2024higher is worse
Road traffic deaths17.4per 100,000 population2019higher is worse
Physicians3.11per 1,000 people2022higher is better
DTP3 immunisation97%% of children aged 12-23 months2024higher is better
Tuberculosis incidence49per 100,000 people2024higher is worse
Premature NCD mortality15.9%% probability, ages 30-702021higher is worse
Anaemia in women15.6%% of women aged 15-492023higher is worse
Out-of-pocket health spending32.2%% of health spending2023higher is worse
Undernourishment2.5%% of population2023higher is worse
Adult obesity9.29%% of adults2024higher is worse
Health coverage index85index, 0 to 1002023higher is better

inequality

Market-income Gini0.548index, 0 to 12011higher is worse
Redistribution6.22%% reduction in the Gini2011no agreed direction
Gini index36index (0-100)2022higher is worse
Extreme poverty rate0%% of population2022higher is worse

infrastructure

Internet users91.6%% of population2025higher is better
Mobile subscriptions132per 100 people2024higher is better
Electricity access100%% of population2024higher is better
Slum share of urban population26.3%% of urban population2022higher is worse
Fixed broadband47.2per 100 people2024higher is better

labor

Retirement age, men66.8years2010no agreed direction
Retirement age, women62years2010no agreed direction
Unemployment4.62%% of labor force2025higher is worse
Female labor participation59.1%% of women 15+2025no agreed direction
Male labor participation69.9%% of men 15+2025no agreed direction
Vulnerable employment33.4%% of employment2025higher is worse

wellbeing

Interpersonal trust63.5%% of respondents2022higher is better
Self-reported happiness88.9%% of respondents2022higher is better
Life satisfaction6.07score (0-10)2025higher is better

Values are the most recent in 2010–2025, and different measures can come from different years. The year is shown beside each. Nothing here ranks countries by merit. An area score averages whatever measures its publishers happen to collect, and the choice of what to collect is itself a judgement made by someone else. All countries · How the country data works

Countries to compare with China

Also in East Asia & Pacific: American Samoa, Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, Hong Kong SAR, China, Indonesia, Japan, Kiribati, Korea, Dem. People's Rep., Korea, Rep., Lao PDR, Macao SAR, China, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Fed. Sts., Mongolia, Myanmar, Naoero, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Taiwan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Viet Nam.

Also upper middle income, in other regions: Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belize, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Colombia, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Georgia, Grenada, Guatemala, Iran, Islamic Rep., Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Libya, Maldives, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Paraguay, Peru, Serbia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and more on the full list of countries.