India vs China: population pyramids in 2018
IndiaChina
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.
India and China compared
In 2018, India has a population of 1.37 billion and China 1.42 billion; the two are about the same size.
The share aged 65 and over is 5.9% in India and 11.3% in China, 5.3 points higher in China. The median age is 27.1 years in India and 37.4 years in China.
The total fertility rate is 2.18 in India and 1.54 in China, so only China is below the replacement level of about 2.1. Life expectancy at birth is 70.4 years in India and 77.7 years in China.
By 2050, the population of India is projected to grow by 22.7% and that of China to shrink by 10.7% compared with 2018.
GDP per person is $2,702 in India (2025) and $14K in China (2025).
Key figures (2018)
| India | China | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1.37 billion | 1.42 billion |
| Aged 0–14 | 27.6% | 18.4% |
| Aged 15–64 | 66.5% | 70.4% |
| Aged 65+ | 5.9% | 11.3% |
| Median age | 27.1 yrs | 37.4 yrs |
| Old-age dependency | 8.9 | 16.0 |
| Total fertility rate | 2.18 | 1.54 |
| Life expectancy | 70.4 yrs | 77.7 yrs |
| Population growth | +1.08% | +0.37% |
| Net migration (per year) | -589,794 | -198,206 |
| GDP | $3.96T (2025) | $19.5T (2025) |
| GDP per person | $2,702 (2025) | $14K (2025) |
| Unemployment | 4.2% (2025) | 4.6% (2025) |
Economic figures are the latest year published for each country.