China vs India: Population aged 65 years or older
China
209,726 thousands
in 2025
India
105,813 thousands
in 2025
China rank
1st
India rank
2nd
Population aged 65 years or older over time
- China
- India
How they compare
China currently reports 209,726 thousands against 105,813 thousands in India, a difference of 103,913 thousands.
That makes China's figure about 2.0 times India's.
Across all 56 years both countries report, China has been ahead every year.
China ranks 1st and India ranks 2nd of 230 countries.
China has averaged higher in every one of the 6 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | India | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 35,078 thousands | 22,804 thousands | 12,274 thousands | China |
| 1980s | 49,914 thousands | 30,116 thousands | 19,798 thousands | China |
| 1990s | 71,619 thousands | 39,227 thousands | 32,392 thousands | China |
| 2000s | 100,538 thousands | 52,482 thousands | 48,055 thousands | China |
| 2010s | 137,284 thousands | 70,954 thousands | 66,329 thousands | China |
| 2020s | 194,966 thousands | 96,395 thousands | 98,572 thousands | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher population aged 65 years or older, China or India?
- China, at 209,726 thousands against 105,813 thousands in India as of 2025.
- What is the difference in population aged 65 years or older between China and India?
- 103,913 thousands, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and India?
- 56 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2025.
- How do China and India rank globally for population aged 65 years or older?
- China ranks 1st and India ranks 2nd of 230 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Population aged 65 years or older (thousands). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
February 2026 Data Release