China vs India: Share of children, working-age adults, and older people
China
236.00 million people
in 2023
India
360.34 million people
in 2023
China rank
2nd
India rank
1st
Share of children, working-age adults, and older people over time
- China
- India
How they compare
India currently reports 360.34 million people against 236.00 million people in China, a difference of 124.34 million people.
That makes India's figure about 1.5 times China's.
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.
Across the 8 decades both report, China averaged higher in 4 and India in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | India | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 226.48 million people | 149.87 million people | 76.61 million people | China |
| 1960s | 293.14 million people | 200.56 million people | 92.58 million people | China |
| 1970s | 359.26 million people | 246.48 million people | 112.79 million people | China |
| 1980s | 337.25 million people | 300.53 million people | 36.72 million people | China |
| 1990s | 331.02 million people | 355.14 million people | 24.12 million people | India |
| 2000s | 275.25 million people | 385.14 million people | 109.88 million people | India |
| 2010s | 254.77 million people | 383.48 million people | 128.72 million people | India |
| 2020s | 246.72 million people | 364.88 million people | 118.16 million people | India |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of children, working-age adults, and older people, China or India?
- India, at 360.34 million people against 236.00 million people in China as of 2023.
- What is the difference in share of children, working-age adults, and older people between China and India?
- 124.34 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 share of children, working-age adults, and older people?
- 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 Share of children, working-age adults, and older people. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Total population, measured on 1 July of the year shown. This only includes people aged 0-14.