China vs India: Population
China
1.42 billion people
in 2023
India
1.44 billion people
in 2023
China rank
2nd
India rank
1st
Population over time
- China
- India
How they compare
India currently reports 1.44 billion people against 1.42 billion people in China, a difference of 15.49 million people.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 74 shared years of data; in 1950 it was China ahead.
China ranks 2nd and India ranks 1st of 236 countries.
China has averaged higher in every one of the 8 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | India | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 597.80 million people | 384.33 million people | 213.47 million people | China |
| 1960s | 717.50 million people | 484.63 million people | 232.87 million people | China |
| 1970s | 902.94 million people | 605.98 million people | 296.96 million people | China |
| 1980s | 1.05 billion people | 764.93 million people | 290.06 million people | China |
| 1990s | 1.21 billion people | 951.12 million people | 260.73 million people | China |
| 2000s | 1.31 billion people | 1.14 billion people | 162.41 million people | China |
| 2010s | 1.39 billion people | 1.32 billion people | 71.66 million people | China |
| 2020s | 1.43 billion people | 1.42 billion people | 5.00 million people | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher population, China or India?
- India, at 1.44 billion people against 1.42 billion people in China as of 2023.
- What is the difference in population between China and India?
- 15.49 million people, with India ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and India?
- 74 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2023.
- How do China and India rank globally for population?
- China ranks 2nd and India ranks 1st of 236 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Population. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
The total population, measured on 1 July of the year shown.