China vs USSR: Population by world region

China
633.37 million people
in 2100
USSR
292.66 million people
in 1991
China rank
2nd
USSR rank
1st

Population by world region over time

  • China
  • USSR
0500.0M1.0B1.5B100015502100

How they compare

China currently reports 633.37 million people against 292.66 million people in USSR, a difference of 340.70 million people.

That makes China's figure about 2.2 times USSR's.

Across all 209 years both countries report, China has been ahead every year.

China ranks 2nd and USSR ranks 1st of 238 countries.

China has averaged higher in every one of the 37 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade China USSR Difference Ahead
1000s 36.59 million people 6.88 million people 29.71 million people China
1100s 90.18 million people 9.14 million people 81.03 million people China
1200s 103.06 million people 12.34 million people 90.72 million people China
1300s 79.97 million people 13.04 million people 66.93 million people China
1400s 71.25 million people 13.05 million people 58.20 million people China
1500s 91.26 million people 16.20 million people 75.06 million people China
1600s 98.05 million people 19.76 million people 78.30 million people China
1700s 99.43 million people 23.29 million people 76.14 million people China
1710s 104.05 million people 25.85 million people 78.20 million people China
1720s 119.50 million people 28.88 million people 90.62 million people China
1730s 127.05 million people 31.96 million people 95.09 million people China
1740s 142.98 million people 35.10 million people 107.88 million people China
1750s 178.33 million people 38.30 million people 140.03 million people China
1760s 197.05 million people 41.56 million people 155.49 million people China
1770s 220.13 million people 44.90 million people 175.24 million people China
1780s 275.68 million people 48.31 million people 227.37 million people China
1790s 298.73 million people 51.81 million people 246.92 million people China
1800s 337.01 million people 54.97 million people 282.04 million people China
1810s 361.46 million people 55.21 million people 306.26 million people China
1820s 393.32 million people 57.72 million people 335.61 million people China
1830s 410.14 million people 63.03 million people 347.10 million people China
1840s 411.90 million people 69.22 million people 342.69 million people China
1850s 395.39 million people 76.00 million people 319.39 million people China
1860s 367.43 million people 83.45 million people 283.99 million people China
1870s 360.85 million people 91.58 million people 269.27 million people China
1880s 370.70 million people 100.56 million people 270.13 million people China
1890s 385.36 million people 110.46 million people 274.90 million people China
1900s 405.63 million people 121.33 million people 284.29 million people China
1910s 438.78 million people 132.22 million people 306.56 million people China
1920s 472.62 million people 143.82 million people 328.80 million people China
1930s 495.30 million people 157.28 million people 338.02 million people China
1940s 523.96 million people 171.95 million people 352.01 million people China
1950s 597.80 million people 195.05 million people 402.75 million people China
1960s 717.50 million people 227.71 million people 489.79 million people China
1970s 902.94 million people 252.41 million people 650.53 million people China
1980s 1.05 billion people 276.90 million people 778.09 million people China
1990s 1.16 billion people 291.87 million people 870.32 million people China

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher population by world region, China or USSR?
China, at 633.37 million people against 292.66 million people in USSR as of 2100.
What is the difference in population by world region between China and USSR?
340.70 million people, with China ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for China and USSR?
209 years are reported by both, from 1000 to 1991.
How do China and USSR rank globally for population by world region?
China ranks 2nd and USSR ranks 1st of 238 countries.
Where does this data come from?
HYDE (2023); Gapminder (2022); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Population by world region. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Population by world region
Unit
people
Source
HYDE (2023); Gapminder (2022); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
239 places, 69,174 data points, 1000–2100
Last refreshed

Population by country, available from 10,000 BCE to 2100, based on data and estimates from different sources.