China vs USSR: The global population hockey stick
China
1.42 billion people
in 2023
USSR
292.66 million people
in 1991
China rank
2nd
USSR rank
4th
The global population hockey stick over time
- China
- USSR
How they compare
China currently reports 1.42 billion people against 292.66 million people in USSR, a difference of 1.13 billion people.
That makes China's figure about 4.9 times USSR's.
Across all 209 years both countries report, China has been ahead every year.
China ranks 2nd and USSR ranks 4th of 239 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 the global population hockey stick, China or USSR?
- China, at 1.42 billion people against 292.66 million people in USSR as of 2023.
- What is the difference in the global population hockey stick between China and USSR?
- 1.13 billion 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 the global population hockey stick?
- China ranks 2nd and USSR ranks 4th of 239 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- HYDE (2023); Gapminder (2022); UN WPP (2024) β with major processing by Our World in Data, published as The global population hockey stick. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Population by country, available from 10,000 BCE to 2023, based on data and estimates from different sources.