China vs India
China vs India: Inflation
Inflation in 2025: 0.1% a year in China and 2% a year in India, by IMF estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in India, by 2 percentage points, or 41 times that in China.
% a year · IMF
What the numbers say
- India has been higher since 1996, when it overtook China.
- In 2025, China ranked 168 and India ranked 117 of 179 countries, counting from the highest.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts China at 2% a year and India at 4% a year in 2031.
Every year
% a year · IMF
| Year | China | India |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.1 | 2 |
| 2024 | 0.2 | 4.6 |
| 2023 | 0.2 | 5.4 |
| 2022 | 2 | 6.6 |
| 2021 | 0.9 | 5.5 |
| 2020 | 2.5 | 6.2 |
| 2019 | 2.9 | 4.8 |
| 2018 | 2.1 | 3.4 |
| 2017 | 1.6 | 3.6 |
| 2016 | 2 | 4.5 |
| 2015 | 1.5 | 4.9 |
| 2014 | 2 | 5.9 |
| 2013 | 2.6 | 9.8 |
| 2012 | 2.6 | 10 |
| 2011 | 5.4 | 8.1 |
| 2010 | 3.3 | 9.4 |
| 2009 | -0.7 | 10.6 |
| 2008 | 5.8 | 9.2 |
| 2007 | 4.8 | 5.9 |
| 2006 | 1.5 | 6.7 |
| 2005 | 1.8 | 3.7 |
| 2004 | 3.9 | 4 |
| 2003 | 1.2 | 4.1 |
| 2002 | -0.7 | 5 |
| 2001 | 0.7 | 4.4 |
| 2000 | 0.3 | 3.8 |
| 1999 | -1.4 | 3.4 |
| 1998 | -0.8 | 13.1 |
| 1997 | 2.8 | 6.8 |
| 1996 | 8.3 | 9.4 |
| 1995 | 16.8 | 10 |
| 1994 | 24.2 | 10.3 |
| 1993 | 14.7 | 7.3 |
| 1992 | 6.4 | 9.9 |
| 1991 | 3.5 | 13.5 |
| 1990 | 3.3 | 11.2 |
| 1989 | 18 | 4.6 |
| 1988 | 18.8 | 7.2 |
| 1987 | 7.3 | 9.1 |
| 1986 | 6.5 | 8.9 |
| 1985 | 9.3 | 6.3 |
| 1984 | 2.7 | 6.5 |
| 1983 | 2 | 12.6 |
| 1982 | 2 | 7.7 |
| 1981 | 2.5 | 12.7 |
| 1980 | – | 11.4 |
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | China | India |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | 5 |
| 2027 | 1.4 | 4.4 |
| 2028 | 1.6 | 3.9 |
| 2029 | 1.9 | 4 |
| 2030 | 2 | 4 |
| 2031 | 2 | 4 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- How much consumer prices rose in a year, on average.
- Source: IMF, World Economic Outlook, October 2026.
- The dashed line is the IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026), a scenario rather than a forecast.
- Ranks count the 179 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
China vs India
Health
- Life expectancyChina: 78 years in 2023India: 72 years in 2023
- Child mortalityChina: 0.6 per 100 live births in 2024India: 2.7 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityChina: 5.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023India: 22.6 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionChina: 3.31% in 2017India: 3.53% in 2017
- Suicide rateChina: 7.2 per 100,000 people in 2017India: 15.6 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationChina: 1.42 billion people in 2023India: 1.44 billion people in 2023
- Population growthChina: -0.24% a year in 2023India: 0.89% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateChina: 1 births per woman in 2023India: 1.98 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationChina: 66.3% in 2025India: 35.7% in 2025
- Median ageChina: 39.1 years in 2023India: 28.1 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overChina: 14.3% in 2023India: 6.9% in 2023
- Net migration rateChina: -0.4 per 1,000 people in 2023India: -0.7 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingChina: 1.73% of GDP in 2025India: 2.3% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsChina: $335B in 2025India: $93.3B in 2025
- Military spending per personChina: $237 in 2025India: $63 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingChina: 5.1% of government spending in 2025India: 8.2% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelChina: 2.54 million people in 2020India: 3.07 million people in 2020
- National powerChina: 23.41% of world capability in 2022India: 9.94% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersChina: 0.33% of the labour force in 2020India: 0.58% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsChina: 207 million TIV in 2025India: 2.86 billion TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsChina: 880 million TIV in 2025India: 81 million TIV in 2025