India and China
Every measure where both countries carry a figure — 122 of them. India is ahead on 33 and behind on 89.
“Ahead” means better on that measure’s own terms: higher where higher is better, lower where lower is better. The years can differ between the two countries, because coverage is ragged — each figure carries its own.
Other comparisons
United States · Japan · Germany · Brazil · Indonesia · South Africa · Vietnam · Bangladesh · Pakistan · Sri Lanka · Nepal · all twelve at once
Economy
| Measure | India | China | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GDP, current US$ US$ | $4.0T 2025 | $19.5T 2025 | ▼ 4.9× |
| GDP growth % per year | 7.6% 2025 | 5.0% 2025 | ▲ 1.5× |
| GNI per capita, Atlas method US$ | $2,760 2025 | $14,230 2025 | ▼ 5.2× |
| GDP per capita, PPP international $ | $11,748 2025 | $29,333 2025 | ▼ 2.5× |
| Consumer price inflation % per year | 2.4% 2025 | 0.1% 2025 | ▼ 40.3× |
| Foreign direct investment, net inflows US$ | $41B 2025 | $80B 2025 | ▼ 2.0× |
| Unemployment rate % of labour force | 4.2% 2025 | 4.6% 2025 | ▲ 1.1× |
| External debt stock US$ | $716B 2024 | $2.4T 2024 | ▲ 3.4× |
| Extreme poverty % below $2.15/day | 2.6% 2023 | 0.0% 2022 | ▼ |
| Poverty at $3.65 a day % below $3.65/day | 16.1% 2023 | 0.5% 2022 | ▼ 32.2× |
| Income inequality (Gini) Gini index (0 = equal) | 23 2023 | 36 2022 | ▲ 1.6× |
| Tax revenue % of GDP | 6.9% 2022 | 7.0% 2024 | ▼ 1.0× |
| Manufacturing output % of GDP | 13.5% 2025 | 24.7% 2025 | ▼ 1.8× |
| Exports of goods and services % of GDP | 22.3% 2025 | 21.1% 2025 | ▲ 1.1× |
| Investment rate % of GDP | 34.6% 2025 | 40.5% 2024 | ▼ 1.2× |
| Foreign-exchange reserves months of imports | 7.85 2025 | 11.9 2025 | ▼ 1.5× |
| Remittances received US$ | $151B 2025 | $30B 2025 | ▲ 5.0× |
| Labour-force participation % of population 15+ | 55.7% 2025 | 64.6% 2025 | ▼ 1.2× |
| Women in the labour force % of women 15+ | 32.4% 2025 | 59.1% 2025 | ▼ 1.8× |
| Cereal yield kg per hectare | 3,633 2024 | 6,495 2024 | ▼ 1.8× |
| Current account balance % of GDP | -0.5% 2025 | 3.8% 2025 | ▼ |
| Share of world goods exports % of world merchandise exports | 1.8% 2024 | 14.6% 2024 | ▼ 8.1× |
| International tourist arrivals arrivals | 98,24,000 2024 | 79,67,000 2020 | ▲ 1.2× |
| Farm output per worker US$ (constant 2015) | 2,159 2025 | 8,631 2025 | ▼ 4.0× |
| Index of Economic Freedom score (0-100) | 52.5 2026 | 48.3 2026 | ▲ 1.1× |
| Share of world services exports % of world commercial services exports | 4.3% 2025 | 5.3% 2025 | ▼ 1.2× |
| Travel & Tourism Development Index score (1-7) | 4.42 2026 | 5 2026 | ▼ 1.1× |
Governance
| Measure | India | China | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corruption Perceptions Index | 39 2025 | 43 2024 | ▼ 1.1× |
| World Press Freedom Index | 32 2026 | 78.7 2021 | ▼ 2.5× |
| Voice and accountability estimate (−2.5 to +2.5) | -0.152 2025 | -1.72 2025 | ▲ 11.3× |
| Rule of law estimate (−2.5 to +2.5) | -0.129 2025 | -0.429 2025 | ▲ 3.3× |
| Control of corruption estimate (−2.5 to +2.5) | -0.279 2025 | 0.071 2025 | ▼ |
| Government effectiveness estimate (−2.5 to +2.5) | 0.502 2025 | 0.624 2025 | ▼ 1.2× |
| Regulatory quality estimate (−2.5 to +2.5) | -0.17 2025 | -0.111 2025 | ▼ 1.5× |
| Political stability and absence of violence estimate (−2.5 to +2.5) | -0.608 2025 | 0.022 2025 | ▼ |
| Electoral democracy 0–1 | 0.377 2025 | 0.072 2025 | ▲ 5.2× |
| Liberal democracy 0–1 | 0.26 2025 | 0.039 2025 | ▲ 6.7× |
| Political corruption 0–1 (higher is worse) | 0.684 2025 | 0.554 2025 | ▼ 1.2× |
| Public sector corruption 0–1 (higher is worse) | 0.692 2025 | 0.498 2025 | ▼ 1.4× |
| Executive corruption 0–1 (higher is worse) | 0.688 2025 | 0.534 2025 | ▼ 1.3× |
| Freedom of expression 0–1 | 0.458 2025 | 0.045 2025 | ▲ 10.2× |
| Judicial checks on government 0–1 | 0.667 2025 | 0.03 2025 | ▲ 22.2× |
| Military expenditure % of GDP | 2.3% 2025 | 1.7% 2025 | ▼ 1.3× |
| Arms imports SIPRI trend-indicator value | 2,86,30,00,000 2025 | 20,70,00,000 2025 | ▼ 13.8× |
| Political rights (Freedom House) score out of 40 | 31 2025 | -2 2025 | ▲ |
| Civil liberties (Freedom House) score out of 60 | 31 2025 | 11 2025 | ▲ 2.8× |
| Prison population rate per 100,000 people | 37 2023 | 119 2018 | ▲ 3.2× |
| Global Diplomacy Index diplomatic posts | 194 2024 | 274 2024 | ▼ 1.4× |
| Global Peace Index score (1-5, lower = more peaceful) | 2.41 2026 | 2.23 2026 | ▼ 1.1× |
| Global Terrorism Index score (0-10, higher = greater impact of terrorism) | 6.43 2026 | 1.31 2026 | ▼ 4.9× |
| Open Budget Index score 0-100 | 44 2025 | 19 2025 | ▲ 2.3× |
| Global Soft Power Index score (0-100) | 48 2026 | 73.5 2026 | ▼ 1.5× |
| UN peacekeeping contributions uniformed personnel (troops, staff officers, military experts on mission, police) | 4,278 2026-02 | 1,661 2026-02 | ▲ 2.6× |
| WJP Rule of Law Index score 0-1 | 0.49 2025 | 0.48 2025 | ▲ 1.0× |
Society
| Measure | India | China | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Women's political participation 0–1 | 0.708 2025 | 0.81 2025 | ▼ 1.1× |
| Women in the Lok Sabha % of lower-chamber seats | 13.8% 2025 | 26.5% 2025 | ▼ 1.9× |
| Homicide rate per 100,000 people | 2.82 2022 | 0.502 2020 | ▼ 5.6× |
| Under-five mortality % of children dying before age 5 | 3.6% 2019 | 0.8% 2019 | ▼ 4.2× |
| Human Development Index | 0.685 2023 | 0.797 2023 | ▼ 1.2× |
| Global Hunger Index | 25.8 2025 | 2.5 2021 | ▲ 10.3× |
| World Happiness Report | 4.54 2026 | 6.07 2025 | ▼ 1.3× |
| Life expectancy at birth years | 72.2 2024 | 78 2024 | ▼ 1.1× |
| Child stunting % of under-fives | 35.5% 2020 | 4.8% 2017 | ▼ 7.4× |
| Maternal mortality per 100,000 live births | 80 2023 | 16 2023 | ▼ 5.0× |
| Tuberculosis incidence per 100,000 people | 187 2024 | 49 2024 | ▼ 3.8× |
| Out-of-pocket health spending % of health spending | 43.9% 2023 | 32.2% 2023 | ▼ 1.4× |
| Doctors per 1,000 per 1,000 people | 0.723 2020 | 3.11 2022 | ▼ 4.3× |
| Hospital beds per 1,000 per 1,000 people | 1.59 2021 | 5.63 2023 | ▼ 3.5× |
| Childhood immunisation % of children 12–23 months | 94.0% 2024 | 97.0% 2024 | ▼ 1.0× |
| Suicide rate per 100,000 people | 12.6 2021 | 8.95 2021 | ▼ 1.4× |
| Undernourishment % of population | 9.8% 2024 | 2.5% 2024 | ▼ 3.9× |
| Human Capital Index 0–1 | 0.494 2020 | 0.653 2020 | ▼ 1.3× |
| Higher-education enrolment % gross | 34.4% 2025 | 76.9% 2024 | ▼ 2.2× |
| Government spending on education % of GDP | 4.1% 2022 | 3.9% 2023 | ▲ 1.1× |
| Fertility rate births per woman | 1.96 2024 | 1.01 2024 | ▼ 1.9× |
| Sex ratio at birth male births per female birth | 1.07 2024 | 1.1 2024 | ▲ 1.0× |
| Child marriage % of women 20-24 married by 18 | 22.3% 2021 | 2.8% 2020 | ▼ 8.0× |
| Gender Inequality Index index (0 = equal) | 0.403 2023 | 0.132 2023 | ▼ 3.1× |
| Women, Business and the Law score out of 100 | 74.4 2023 | 78.1 2023 | ▼ 1.1× |
| Universal health coverage index index out of 100 | 69 2023 | 85 2023 | ▼ 1.2× |
| Learning poverty % of 10-year-olds | 56.1% 2017 | 18.2% 2016 | ▼ 3.1× |
| Average years of schooling years (adults) | 7.8 2020 | 8.99 2020 | ▼ 1.2× |
| Expected years of schooling years (a child starting now) | 13 2023 | 15.5 2023 | ▼ 1.2× |
| English Proficiency Index EF EPI score | 484 2025 | 464 2025 | ▲ 1.0× |
| Global Gender Gap Index index (0-1, 1 = parity) | 0.645 2026 | 0.699 2026 | ▼ 1.1× |
| Multidimensional Poverty Index MPI value (0-1) | 0.069 2019-2021 | 0.016 2014 | ▼ 4.3× |
| Legatum Prosperity Index score (0-100) | 60.7 2026 | 53.6 2026 | ▲ 1.1× |
| Social Progress Index score (0-100) | 58.8 2025 | 68.8 2025 | ▼ 1.2× |
Environment
| Measure | India | China | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Renewable share of electricity % of generation | 24.1% 2025 | 37.0% 2025 | ▼ 1.5× |
| Solar generation TWh | 196 2025 | 1,175 2025 | ▼ 6.0× |
| Forest cover % of land area | 24.4% 2024 | 24.0% 2024 | ▲ 1.0× |
| CO₂ emissions per person tonnes per person | 2.17 2024 | 9.32 2024 | ▲ 4.3× |
| CO₂ emissions, total million tonnes | 3,154 2024 | 13,125 2024 | ▲ 4.2× |
| Water stress % of available freshwater withdrawn | 66.5% 2022 | 41.5% 2022 | ▼ 1.6× |
| Tree cover loss hectares per year | 1,25,678 2024 | 6,73,569 2024 | ▲ 5.4× |
| Climate Change Performance Index score (0-100) | 61.3 2026 | 44.5 2026 | ▲ 1.4× |
| Energy Transition Index score (0-100) | 54.9 2026 | 66.9 2026 | ▼ 1.2× |
| ND-GAIN Country Index score (0-100, higher = less vulnerable and more ready to adapt) | 44.4 2024 | 53 2024 | ▼ 1.2× |
Innovation
| Measure | India | China | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research & development spending % of GDP | 0.6% 2020 | 2.6% 2023 | ▼ 4.0× |
| Researchers per million people | 259.3 2020 | 2,107 2023 | ▼ 8.1× |
| Patent applications applications by residents | 63,217 2024 | 16,72,001 2024 | ▼ 26.4× |
| Scientific articles published articles per year | 2,28,174 2023 | 9,32,712 2023 | ▼ 4.1× |
| Global AI Index score (0-100, top-scoring country = 100) | 21 2025 | 74 2025 | ▼ 3.5× |
| Hurun Global Unicorn Index unicorns (count) | 61 2026 | 381 2026 | ▼ 6.2× |
| Universities in the world top 500 universities | 3 2027 | 36 2027 | ▼ 12.0× |
Infrastructure
| Measure | India | China | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access to electricity % of population | 99.9% 2024 | 100.0% 2024 | ▼ 1.0× |
| Access to clean cooking fuel % of population | 81.0% 2024 | 90.0% 2024 | ▼ 1.1× |
| Safely managed sanitation % of population | 62.8% 2024 | 68.9% 2024 | ▼ 1.1× |
| Electricity use per person kWh per person per year | 1,423 2025 | 7,460 2025 | ▼ 5.2× |
| Liner shipping connectivity index (max in 2004 = 100) | 58.9 2021 | 171.2 2021 | ▼ 2.9× |
| Rail network route-km | 68,103 2021 | 1,09,767 2021 | ▼ 1.6× |
Digital
| Measure | India | China | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adults with a bank account % of adults 15+ | 89.0% 2024 | 89.4% 2024 | ▼ 1.0× |
| Mobile subscriptions per 100 people | 79.4 2024 | 131.8 2024 | ▼ 1.7× |
| Individuals using the internet % of population | 70.0% 2025 | 91.6% 2025 | ▼ 1.3× |
| Fixed broadband per 100 people | 3.15 2024 | 47.2 2024 | ▼ 15.0× |
| E-Government Development Index EGDI (0-1) | 0.668 2024 | 0.872 2024 | ▼ 1.3× |
| Global Cybersecurity Index score out of 100 (0-1 scale in the 2014, 2017 and 2018 editions) | 98.5 2024 | 91.7 2024 | ▲ 1.1× |
| Government AI Readiness Index score (0-100) | 66.6 2025 | 76.3 2025 | ▼ 1.1× |
| Mobile data price US$ per 1GB | 0.16 2023 | 0.38 2023 | ▲ 2.4× |
| Mobile internet speed Mbps | 128.2 2026-08 | 176.2 2026-08 | ▼ 1.4× |
| Network Readiness Index score (0-100) | 54.4 2025 | 65.7 2025 | ▼ 1.2× |
| Real-time payments billion real-time transactions per year | 129.3 2024 | 17.2 2024 | ▲ 7.5× |