Russian Federation vs China: population pyramids in 1972
Russian FederationChina
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.
Russian Federation and China compared
In 1972, the Russian Federation has a population of 131.3 million and China 854.1 million; China is about 6.5 times the size of the Russian Federation.
The share aged 65 and over is 8.0% in the Russian Federation and 3.8% in China, 4.3 points higher in the Russian Federation. The median age is 31.3 years in the Russian Federation and 19.2 years in China.
The total fertility rate is 2.07 in the Russian Federation and 5.11 in China, so only the Russian Federation is below the replacement level of about 2.1. Life expectancy at birth is 68.8 years in the Russian Federation and 58.6 years in China.
By 2050, the population of the Russian Federation is projected to grow by 3.7% and that of China to grow by 48.1% compared with 1972.
GDP per person is $18K in the Russian Federation (2025) and $14K in China (2025).
Key figures (1972)
| Russian Federation | China | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 131.3 million | 854.1 million |
| Aged 0–14 | 25.1% | 40.6% |
| Aged 15–64 | 66.8% | 55.7% |
| Aged 65+ | 8.0% | 3.8% |
| Median age | 31.3 yrs | 19.2 yrs |
| Old-age dependency | 12.0 | 6.7 |
| Total fertility rate | 2.07 | 5.11 |
| Life expectancy | 68.8 yrs | 58.6 yrs |
| Population growth | +0.58% | +2.23% |
| Net migration (per year) | -111,168 | -215,650 |
| GDP | $2.56T (2025) | $19.5T (2025) |
| GDP per person | $18K (2025) | $14K (2025) |
| Unemployment | 2.1% (2025) | 4.6% (2025) |
Economic figures are the latest year published for each country.