Compare
Bhutan vs China
How Bhutan and China compare on 33 measures, from 1789 to 2025. The main differences:
- Life expectancy · In 2023, China was higher: 78 years against 73 years
- GDP per person · In 2025, China was higher: $13,790 against $3,989
- Population · In 2023, China was higher: 1.42 billion people against 786,400 people
- CO₂ per person · In 2024, China was higher: 9.32 tonnes against 2.01 tonnes
- Electoral democracy · In 2025, Bhutan was higher: 0.57 of 1 against 0.07 of 1
Every measure
Health
- Life expectancyBhutan: 73 years in 2023China: 78 years in 2023
- Child mortalityBhutan: 1.7 per 100 live births in 2024China: 0.6 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityBhutan: 19.3 per 1,000 live births in 2023China: 5.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionBhutan: 3.44% in 2017China: 3.31% in 2017
- Suicide rateBhutan: 5.7 per 100,000 people in 2017China: 7.2 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationBhutan: 786,400 people in 2023China: 1.42 billion people in 2023
- Population growthBhutan: 0.69% a year in 2023China: -0.24% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateBhutan: 1.46 births per woman in 2023China: 1 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationBhutan: 43.4% in 2025China: 66.3% in 2025
- Median ageBhutan: 29.4 years in 2023China: 39.1 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overBhutan: 6.4% in 2023China: 14.3% in 2023
- Net migration rateBhutan: 0.4 per 1,000 people in 2023China: -0.4 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Armed forces personnelBhutan: 6,000 people in 2000China: 2.54 million people in 2020
- National powerBhutan: 0.01% of world capability in 2022China: 23.41% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersBhutan: 2.34% of the labour force in 2000China: 0.33% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsBhutan: 5 million TIV in 2021China: 207 million TIV in 2025
Climate
Technology and environment
Each country on its own
Good to know
- Sources: UN, Gapminder and UN IGME, IHME, World Bank, IMF, UNESCO, Our World in Data, V-Dem, UCDP, IISS, Correlates of War, SIPRI, ERA5, CMIP6, EDGAR, ITU and FAO. Each measure’s page names its own and what it counts.
- Values are drawn on today’s borders. Years without a published value are left empty, never filled in.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time