Compare
China vs Iran
How China and Iran compare on 38 measures, from 1789 to 2025. The main differences:
- Life expectancy · In 2023, China was higher: 78 years against 77.7 years
- GDP per person · In 2025, China was higher: $13,790 against $5,617
- Population · In 2023, China was higher: 1.42 billion people against 90.6 million people
- Military spending · In 2025, Iran was higher: 2.09% of GDP against 1.73% of GDP
- CO₂ per person · In 2024, China was higher: 9.32 tonnes against 9.05 tonnes
Every measure
Health
- Life expectancyChina: 78 years in 2023Iran: 77.7 years in 2023
- Child mortalityChina: 0.6 per 100 live births in 2024Iran: 1.1 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityChina: 5.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023Iran: 9.9 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionChina: 3.31% in 2017Iran: 5.12% in 2017
- Suicide rateChina: 7.2 per 100,000 people in 2017Iran: 5.4 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationChina: 1.42 billion people in 2023Iran: 90.6 million people in 2023
- Population growthChina: -0.24% a year in 2023Iran: 1.12% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateChina: 1 births per woman in 2023Iran: 1.7 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationChina: 66.3% in 2025Iran: 77.4% in 2025
- Median ageChina: 39.1 years in 2023Iran: 32.9 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overChina: 14.3% in 2023Iran: 7.9% in 2023
- Net migration rateChina: -0.4 per 1,000 people in 2023Iran: 2.9 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingChina: 1.73% of GDP in 2025Iran: 2.09% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsChina: $335B in 2025Iran: $7.45B in 2025
- Military spending per personChina: $237 in 2025Iran: $80 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingChina: 5.1% of government spending in 2025Iran: 11.2% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelChina: 2.54 million people in 2020Iran: 650,000 people in 2020
- National powerChina: 23.41% of world capability in 2022Iran: 1.64% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersChina: 0.33% of the labour force in 2020Iran: 2.35% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsChina: 207 million TIV in 2025Iran: 42 million TIV in 2024
- Arms exportsChina: 880 million TIV in 2025Iran: 80 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, SIPRI, IISS, Correlates of War, 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