Matchup file

China vs United Kingdom

126 shared metrics.

ChinaLeads in 61

vs126 shared

United KingdomLeads in 65

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United Kingdom leads by 4 metrics. Use the same instinct in a quick real-data brawl.

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Country briefing

What matters for both sides

Short real-world notes so the comparison reads like more than a stat strip.

China

Quick notes before you compare the numbers.

Identity

Formal name: People's Republic of China.

CIA 2026

Curated stat

China's population began shrinking in 2022, its first annual decline in about six decades.

World Bank

United Kingdom

Quick notes before you compare the numbers.

Identity

Formal name: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; note - the island of Great Britain includes England, Scotland, and Wales.

CIA 2026

Identity

Name origin: the name United Kingdom is self-descriptive.

CIA 2026

Analysis

United Kingdom leads in 65 of 126 shared metrics, while China leads in 61.

China's Irrigated Land is 960.1x that of United Kingdom (690.1K km² vs 718 km²).

China's Coal Electricity Share is 493.1x that of United Kingdom (54.35% vs 0.11%).

China's Domestic Patents is 122.1x that of United Kingdom (1.43M vs 11.6K).

China's Forest Area is 69.2x that of United Kingdom (2.26M km² vs 32.2K km²).

China's Water Withdrawal is 66.5x that of United Kingdom (568.48 B m³ vs 8.4 B m³).

Key Comparisons

Irrigated LandChina leads

China

690.1K km²

United Kingdom

718 km²

Coal Electricity ShareChina leads

China

54.35%

United Kingdom

0.11%

Domestic PatentsChina leads

China

1.43M

United Kingdom

11.6K

Forest AreaChina leads

China

2.26M km²

United Kingdom

32.2K km²

Water WithdrawalChina leads

China

568.48 B m³

United Kingdom

8.4 B m³

Land Border LengthChina leads

China

22.5K km

United Kingdom

499 km

All Metrics

Irrigated Land

China

690.1K km²

United Kingdom

718 km²

96010% higher

Coal Electricity Share

China

54.35%

United Kingdom

0.11%

49309% higher

Domestic Patents

China

1.43M

United Kingdom

11.6K

12207% higher

Forest Area

China

2.26M km²

United Kingdom

32.2K km²

6917% higher

Water Withdrawal

China

568.48 B m³

United Kingdom

8.4 B m³

6652% higher

Land Border Length

China

22.5K km

United Kingdom

499 km

4400% higher

Total CO2 Emissions

China

13.1K Mt CO2e

United Kingdom

292.42 Mt CO2e

4388% higher

Land Area

China

9.39M km²

United Kingdom

241.9K km²

3781% higher

Electricity Generation

China

10.1K TWh

United Kingdom

281.33 TWh

3480% higher

Shipping Traffic

China

268.99M

United Kingdom

9.74M

2662% higher

Electric Generating Capacity

China

2.95B kW

United Kingdom

114.75M kW

2470% higher

Foreign Patents

China

159.0K

United Kingdom

7.3K

2089% higher

Population

China

1.41B

United Kingdom

68.75M

1947% higher

Armed Forces Personnel

China

2.54M

United Kingdom

153.0K

1557% higher

Border Neighbors

China

United Kingdom

1.0

1500% higher

Political Corruption Index

China

0.55

United Kingdom

0.04

1219% higher

Capital Elevation

China

43 m

United Kingdom

4.0 m

975% higher

Merchant Fleet Size

China

8.3K

United Kingdom

868

858% higher

Railway Length

China

150.0K km

United Kingdom

16.4K km

815% higher

Scientific Publications

China

898.9K

United Kingdom

105.6K

751% higher

Comparison of China and United Kingdom across 126 metrics
				Winner
Irrigated Land	690.1K km²	718 km²	96010% higher	China
Coal Electricity Share	54.35%	0.11%	49309% higher	China
Domestic Patents	1.43M	11.6K	12207% higher	China
Forest Area	2.26M km²	32.2K km²	6917% higher	China
Water Withdrawal	568.48 B m³	8.4 B m³	6652% higher	China
Land Border Length	22.5K km	499 km	4400% higher	China
Total CO2 Emissions	13.1K Mt CO2e	292.42 Mt CO2e	4388% higher	China
Land Area	9.39M km²	241.9K km²	3781% higher	China
Electricity Generation	10.1K TWh	281.33 TWh	3480% higher	China
Shipping Traffic	268.99M	9.74M	2662% higher	China
Electric Generating Capacity	2.95B kW	114.75M kW	2470% higher	China
Foreign Patents	159.0K	7.3K	2089% higher	China
Population	1.41B	68.75M	1947% higher	China
Armed Forces Personnel	2.54M	153.0K	1557% higher	China
Border Neighbors	16	1.0	1500% higher	China
Political Corruption Index	0.55	0.04	1219% higher	China
Capital Elevation	43 m	4.0 m	975% higher	China
Merchant Fleet Size	8.3K	868	858% higher	China
Railway Length	150.0K km	16.4K km	815% higher	China
Scientific Publications	898.9K	105.6K	751% higher	China
Road Traffic Death Rate	17.4 per 100k	2.4 per 100k	625% higher	China
Railway Network	109.8K km	16.2K km	578% higher	China
Highest Elevation	8.8K m	1.3K m	558% higher	China
Air Passengers	619.22M	118.95M	421% higher	China
GDP (Nominal)	$18,743,803,170,827.2	$3,686,033,044,482.13	409% higher	China
GDP Growth Rate	5.0%	1.1%	342% higher	China
Time Zones Count	4.0 time zones	1.0 time zones	300% higher	China
Air Pollution (PM2.5)	34.81 µg/m³	9.9 µg/m³	251% higher	China
Water Stress (%)	20.21%	5.8%	248% higher	China
Tourist Arrivals	30.40M	11.10M	174% higher	China
Electricity Carbon Intensity	525.34 gCO2/kWh	217.41 gCO2/kWh	142% higher	China
Seafood Consumption per Person	40.33 kg/person/yr	18.13 kg/person/yr	122% higher	China
Hospital Beds (per 1,000)	5.0 per 1k	2.4 per 1k	108% higher	China
Nobel Laureates Born per Million People	0.01 per 1M people	1.5 per 1M people	100% lower	United Kingdom
EV Chargers per 100,000 PeopleSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors - Open Database License (ODbL)	0.22 per 100k people	11.49 per 100k people	98% lower	United Kingdom
Freedom of Expression Index	0.04	0.83	95% lower	United Kingdom
Liberal Democracy Index	0.04	0.69	94% lower	United Kingdom
Inflation Rate	0.20%	3.3%	94% lower	United Kingdom
Firms Asked for Bribes	0.14% of firms	2.1% of firms	93% lower	United Kingdom
McDonald's Outlets per Million PeopleSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors - Open Database License (ODbL)	1.6 per 1M people	21.22 per 1M people	92% lower	United Kingdom
Electoral Democracy Index	0.07	0.77	91% lower	United Kingdom
CO2 Per Capita	8.7 t/person/yr	4.5 t/person/yr	91% higher	China
Health Spending Per Capita	$672.45	$5,366.78	87% lower	United Kingdom
Milk Consumption per Person	32.66 kg/person/yr	232.2 kg/person/yr	86% lower	United Kingdom
Tobacco Use Prevalence	22.7% of adults	12.3% of adults	85% higher	China
Forest Coverage (%)	24.03%	13.29%	81% higher	China
Minimum Paid Vacation Days	5.0 days/yr	20 days/yr	75% lower	United Kingdom
Firms Hit by Power Outages	3.7% of firms	14.29% of firms	74% lower	United Kingdom
GNI Per Capita	$13,660	$49,470	72% lower	United Kingdom
Tax Revenue (% GDP)	7.6% of GDP	26.96% of GDP	72% lower	United Kingdom
Obesity Rate	8.2%	28.71%	71% lower	United Kingdom
UNESCO World Heritage Sites	60 sites	35 sites	71% higher	China
Solar Electricity Share	11.1%	6.6%	68% higher	China
Smoking Rate	23.4%	14.2%	65% higher	China
Government Debt (% GDP)	47% of GDP	131.07% of GDP	64% lower	United Kingdom
Vehicles per 1,000 People	212.35 per 1k people	585.12 per 1k people	64% lower	United Kingdom
Beer Consumption	1.1 L/person/yr	3.1 L/person/yr	63% lower	United Kingdom
Wind Electricity Share	10.73%	29.37%	63% lower	United Kingdom
Nurses & Midwives	3.5 per 1k	9.2 per 1k	62% lower	United Kingdom
Nuclear Electricity Share	4.9%	12.5%	61% lower	United Kingdom
Firms with Female Top Manager	19.6% of firms	12.3% of firms	59% higher	China
Alcohol Consumption	4.6 L/adult/yr	10.73 L/adult/yr	57% lower	United Kingdom
Homicide Rate	0.50 per 100k	1.1 per 100k	55% lower	United Kingdom
Electricity Use (Per Capita)	6.5K kWh/person	4.2K kWh/person	55% higher	China
GDP Per Capita (PPP)	$27,104.87	$60,620.38	55% lower	United Kingdom
Firms Making Informal Payments	0.29% of firms	0.62% of firms	53% lower	United Kingdom
Health Spending (% GDP)	5.4% of GDP	10.87% of GDP	51% lower	United Kingdom
Food Waste per Person	141.64 kg/person/yr	95.2 kg/person/yr	49% higher	China
Big Mac Price	$3.66	$7.08	48% lower	United Kingdom
Population Density	150.26 /km²	283.11 /km²	47% lower	United Kingdom
Imports (% GDP)	17.18% of GDP	31.86% of GDP	46% lower	United Kingdom
Airports	571	1.1K	46% lower	United Kingdom
Protected Land (%)	15.6%	28.4%	45% lower	United Kingdom
Corruption Perceptions Index	43 pts	70 pts	39% lower	United Kingdom
Child Mortality	6.2 per 1k births	4.5 per 1k births	38% higher	China
Teen Birth Rate	5.2 per 1k	8.4 per 1k	37% lower	United Kingdom
Exports (% GDP)	20.02% of GDP	30.98% of GDP	35% lower	United Kingdom
Women in Parliament (%)	26.54%	40.46%	34% lower	United Kingdom
Energy Use (Per Capita)	2.9K kg oil eq/person	2.1K kg oil eq/person	34% higher	China
Average Weekly Work Hours	46.1 hrs/week	34.92 hrs/week	32% higher	China
Birth Rate	7.3 per 1k	10.76 per 1k	32% lower	United Kingdom
Education Spending (% GDP)	4.0% of GDP	5.9% of GDP	32% lower	United Kingdom
Women's Political Empowerment	0.59	0.84	30% lower	United Kingdom
Fertility Rate	1.2 children/woman	1.6 children/woman	27% lower	United Kingdom
Credit Card Ownership	46.03% of adults	62.11% of adults	26% lower	United Kingdom
Renewable Energy (%)	15.2%	12.2%	25% higher	China
Military Spending	1.7% of GDP	2.3% of GDP	25% lower	United Kingdom
Elderly Population (%)	14.67%	19.5%	25% lower	United Kingdom
Meat Consumption per Person	60.6 kg/person/yr	79.9 kg/person/yr	24% lower	United Kingdom
Dependency Ratio	44.24% of working-age pop.	57.94% of working-age pop.	24% lower	United Kingdom
Agricultural Land (%)	55.43%	70.31%	21% lower	United Kingdom
Urban Population (%)	65.89%	83.24%	21% lower	United Kingdom
All-Time Olympic Medals	819 medals	1.0K medals	20% lower	United Kingdom
Renewable Energy (%)	17.47%	21.29%	18% lower	United Kingdom
Coastline Length	14.5K km	12.4K km	17% higher	China
Human Development Index	0.80	0.95	16% lower	United Kingdom
ATMs per 100,000 Adults	72.03 per 100k	84.32 per 100k	15% lower	United Kingdom
Death Rate	8.0 per 1k	9.3 per 1k	14% lower	United Kingdom
Infant Mortality	4.5 per 1k births	4.0 per 1k births	13% higher	China
R&D Spending (% GDP)	2.6% of GDP	2.9% of GDP	12% lower	United Kingdom
High-Tech Exports (%)	26.28%	29.72%	12% lower	United Kingdom
Insufficient Physical Activity	23.84% of adults	21.22% of adults	12% higher	China
Inequality (Gini)	36	32.4	11% higher	China
Unemployment Rate	4.6%	4.1%	11% higher	China
Digital Payments Used	88.72% of adults	99.17% of adults	11% lower	United Kingdom
Broadband Access (%)	45 per 100 people	41 per 100 people	10% higher	China
Life Evaluation Score	6.1 pts	6.7 pts	9% lower	United Kingdom
Mobile Subscriptions (%)	132 per 100 people	122 per 100 people	8% higher	China
Youth Unemployment Rate	15.79% of youth labor force	14.65% of youth labor force	8% higher	China
Youth Population (%)	16.01%	17.18%	7% lower	United Kingdom
Doctors (per 1,000)	3.1 per 1k	3.3 per 1k	6% lower	United Kingdom
Suicide Rate	8.9 per 100k	9.6 per 100k	6% lower	United Kingdom
University Enrollment Rate	76.88%	80.5%	5% lower	United Kingdom
All-Time Olympic Gold Medals	330 gold medals	313 gold medals	5% higher	China
Internet Users (%)	92%	96%	4% lower	United Kingdom
Life Expectancy	78.0 years	81.2 years	4% lower	United Kingdom
Spirits Consumption	2.5 L/person/yr	2.6 L/person/yr	3% lower	United Kingdom
Hypertension Prevalence	27.3% of adults	26.4% of adults	3% higher	China
Can Raise Emergency Money	95.1% of adults	92.2% of adults	3% higher	China
Median Age	39.1 years	39.8 years	2% lower	United Kingdom
Sanitation Access (%)	97.27%	99.1%	2% lower	United Kingdom
Electricity Access (%)	100%	100%	equal	China
Lowest Elevation	-154 m	-4 m	ranked lower	United Kingdom
Official Languages Count	1.0	1.0	equal	China
Current Account Balance (% of GDP)	3.7% of GDP	-3.1% of GDP	ranked higher	China
FDI Inflows (% GDP)	0.10% of GDP	-1.65% of GDP	ranked higher	China

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China United Kingdom

Analysis

United Kingdom leads in 65 of 126 shared metrics, while China leads in 61.

China's Irrigated Land is 960.1x that of United Kingdom (690.1K km² vs 718 km²).

China's Coal Electricity Share is 493.1x that of United Kingdom (54.35% vs 0.11%).

China's Domestic Patents is 122.1x that of United Kingdom (1.43M vs 11.6K).

China's Forest Area is 69.2x that of United Kingdom (2.26M km² vs 32.2K km²).

China's Water Withdrawal is 66.5x that of United Kingdom (568.48 B m³ vs 8.4 B m³).

Key Comparisons

Irrigated LandChina leads

China

690.1K km²

United Kingdom

718 km²

Coal Electricity ShareChina leads

China

54.35%

United Kingdom

0.11%

Domestic PatentsChina leads

China

1.43M

United Kingdom

11.6K

Forest AreaChina leads

China

2.26M km²

United Kingdom

32.2K km²

Water WithdrawalChina leads

China

568.48 B m³

United Kingdom

8.4 B m³

Land Border LengthChina leads

China

22.5K km

United Kingdom

499 km

Irrigated Land

690.1K km²

718 km²

Coal Electricity Share

54.35%

0.11%

Domestic Patents

1.43M

11.6K

Forest Area

2.26M km²

32.2K km²

Water Withdrawal

568.48 B m³

8.4 B m³

Land Border Length

22.5K km

499 km

Total CO2 Emissions

13.1K Mt CO2e

292.42 Mt CO2e

Land Area

9.39M km²

241.9K km²

Electricity Generation

10.1K TWh

281.33 TWh

Shipping Traffic

268.99M

9.74M

Electric Generating Capacity

2.95B kW

114.75M kW

Foreign Patents

159.0K

7.3K

Population

1.41B

68.75M

Armed Forces Personnel

2.54M

153.0K

Border Neighbors

1.0

Political Corruption Index

0.55

0.04

Capital Elevation

43 m

4.0 m

Merchant Fleet Size

8.3K

868

Railway Length

150.0K km

16.4K km

Scientific Publications

898.9K

105.6K

China vs United Kingdom

Think you can spot the next winner?

What matters for both sides

China

United Kingdom

Analysis

Key Comparisons

All Metrics

Irrigated Land

Coal Electricity Share

Domestic Patents

Forest Area

Water Withdrawal

Land Border Length

Total CO2 Emissions

Land Area

Electricity Generation

Shipping Traffic

Electric Generating Capacity

Foreign Patents

Population

Armed Forces Personnel

Border Neighbors

Political Corruption Index

Capital Elevation

Merchant Fleet Size

Railway Length

Scientific Publications

Road Traffic Death Rate

Railway Network

Highest Elevation

Air Passengers

GDP (Nominal)

GDP Growth Rate

Time Zones Count

Air Pollution (PM2.5)

Water Stress (%)

Tourist Arrivals

Electricity Carbon Intensity

Seafood Consumption per Person

Hospital Beds (per 1,000)

Nobel Laureates Born per Million People

EV Chargers per 100,000 People

Freedom of Expression Index

Liberal Democracy Index

Inflation Rate

Firms Asked for Bribes

McDonald's Outlets per Million People

Electoral Democracy Index

CO2 Per Capita

Health Spending Per Capita

Milk Consumption per Person

Tobacco Use Prevalence

Forest Coverage (%)

Minimum Paid Vacation Days

Firms Hit by Power Outages

GNI Per Capita

Tax Revenue (% GDP)

Obesity Rate

UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Solar Electricity Share

Smoking Rate

Government Debt (% GDP)

Vehicles per 1,000 People

Beer Consumption

Wind Electricity Share

Nurses & Midwives

Nuclear Electricity Share

Firms with Female Top Manager

Alcohol Consumption

Homicide Rate

Electricity Use (Per Capita)

GDP Per Capita (PPP)

Firms Making Informal Payments

Health Spending (% GDP)

Food Waste per Person

Big Mac Price

Population Density

Imports (% GDP)

Airports