China vs India: population pyramids in 1997
ChinaIndia
Each bar is the share of the total population at that single year of age (men left, women right), so countries of different sizes can be compared.
China and India compared
In 1997, China has a population of 1.24 billion and India 989.4 million; China is about 1.2 times the size of India.
The share aged 65 and over is 6.3% in China and 4.2% in India, 2.1 points higher in China. The median age is 27.9 years in China and 21.6 years in India.
The total fertility rate is 1.53 in China and 3.51 in India, so only China is below the replacement level of about 2.1. Life expectancy at birth is 71.2 years in China and 61.4 years in India.
By 2050, the population of China is projected to grow by 2.3% and that of India to grow by 69.5% compared with 1997.
GDP per person is $14K in China (2025) and $2,702 in India (2025).
Key figures (1997)
| China | India | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1.24 billion | 989.4 million |
| Aged 0–14 | 26.7% | 36.9% |
| Aged 15–64 | 67.0% | 58.9% |
| Aged 65+ | 6.3% | 4.2% |
| Median age | 27.9 yrs | 21.6 yrs |
| Old-age dependency | 9.4 | 7.2 |
| Total fertility rate | 1.53 | 3.51 |
| Life expectancy | 71.2 yrs | 61.4 yrs |
| Population growth | +0.79% | +1.95% |
| Net migration (per year) | -279,251 | +880 |
| GDP | $19.5T (2025) | $3.96T (2025) |
| GDP per person | $14K (2025) | $2,702 (2025) |
| Unemployment | 4.6% (2025) | 4.2% (2025) |
Economic figures are the latest year published for each country.