World Population PyramidsPopulation pyramids and indicators by country and year日本語

China vs United States of America: population pyramids in 1979

1979Swap

ChinaUnited States of America

1.5%1%0.5%0%0.5%1%1.5%0102030405060708090100MaleFemale

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 United States of America compared

In 1979, China has a population of 962.5 million and the United States of America 226.4 million; China is about 4.3 times the size of the United States of America.

The share aged 65 and over is 4.2% in China and 10.8% in the United States of America, 6.6 points higher in the United States of America. The median age is 21.4 years in China and 29.7 years in the United States of America.

The total fertility rate is 2.75 in China and 1.84 in the United States of America, so only the United States of America is below the replacement level of about 2.1. Life expectancy at birth is 63.7 years in China and 73.8 years in the United States of America.

By 2050, the population of China is projected to grow by 31.4% and that of the United States of America to grow by 67.9% compared with 1979.

GDP per person is $14K in China (2025) and $90K in the United States of America (2025).

Key figures (1979)

ChinaUnited States of America
Population962.5 million226.4 million
Aged 0–1437.8%23.0%
Aged 15–6458.0%66.2%
Aged 65+4.2%10.8%
Median age21.4 yrs29.7 yrs
Old-age dependency7.316.3
Total fertility rate2.751.84
Life expectancy63.7 yrs73.8 yrs
Population growth+1.40%+0.98%
Net migration (per year)-13,704+503,559
GDP$19.5T (2025)$30.8T (2025)
GDP per person$14K (2025)$90K (2025)
Unemployment4.6% (2025)4.2% (2025)

Economic figures are the latest year published for each country.

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