Land Area
China
9,596,961 km²
Largest
Spain
505,992 km²
5.3% of largest
China is 18.97× larger than Spain
Population
China
LARGEST
1.41B
PEOPLE
Spain
3.4% OF LARGEST
47.42M
PEOPLE
China has 29.79× the population of Spain
GDP
China
LARGEST
$17.96T
Spain
7.9% OF LARGEST
$1.43T
Armed Forces
Active Personnel
China
LARGEST
2.04M
TROOPS
Spain
5.9% OF LARGEST
120.35K
TROOPS
China has 16.91× the active personnel of Spain
Air Force
China
LARGEST
3.29K
AIRCRAFT
Spain
15.9% OF LARGEST
522
AIRCRAFT
China has 6.29× the aircraft of Spain
Naval Assets
China
Spain
Wealth
Gold Reserves
China
LARGEST
2,279.6
Metric Tonnes
Spain
12.4% OF LARGEST
281.6
Metric Tonnes
Foreign-Exchange Reserves
China
LARGEST
$3.27T
Reserves · excl. gold
Spain
2.6% OF LARGEST
$84B
Reserves · excl. gold
Billionaires
China
MOST
473
billionaires
Spain
6% OF MOST
29
billionaires
Oil
Proven Reserves
China
LARGEST
26
Billion barrels
Spain
0.6% OF LARGEST
0.2
Billion barrels
Production & Consumption
China
NET IMPORTER
Production
4.1M b/d
Consumption
15.4M b/d
−11.3M b/d net
Spain
NET IMPORTER
Production
0.0M b/d
Consumption
1.3M b/d
−1.3M b/d net
Trade (Import/Export)
China
$3,753.1B
Exports
$3,753.1B
Imports
$3,219.3B
Trade Balance
+$533.7B
Trade Surplus
Spain
$639.5B
Exports
$639.5B
Imports
$567.7B
Trade Balance
+$71.8B
Trade Surplus
Drinks per Person
Coffee
kg / person / yr
Spain
consumption
China
consumption
Tea
kg / person / yr
China
consumption
Spain
consumption
Beer
litres / person / yr
Spain
consumption
China
consumption
Wine
litres / person / yr
Spain
consumption
China
consumption
Alcohol
litres pure alcohol / person / yr
Spain
consumption
China
consumption
Smoking
% of adults 15+ who smoke
China
Spain
Per-capita — consumption where available, else FAOSTAT supply · alcohol = litres of pure alcohol; smoking = % of adults 15+ (WHO)
Olympic Medals
China
330
Gold
262
Silver
227
Bronze
819
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 727
❄ Winter: 92
Spain
55
Gold
77
Silver
63
Bronze
195
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 187
❄ Winter: 8
Religious Demographics
Religious Distribution
Religious Composition by Country
China
Spain
Age Demographics
Median Age
Spain
44.9
YEARS
10
30
50
70
China
39.0
YEARS
10
30
50
70
Age Distribution
Population breakdown by age bracket (percentage)
Demographic Insights
Age Gap
Spain is 5.9 years older (median) than China
Youth Population
China has the highest youth population at 36.5% (under 30)
Elderly Population
Spain has the highest elderly population at 29.5% (60+)
Global Statistics
| Metric |
China
|
Spain
|
|---|---|---|
| Travel & Mobility | ||
| Passport Power visa-free destinations |
85
|
190
|
| Tourist Arrivals per year |
65.7M
|
85.2M
|
| Culture & Prestige | ||
| Nobel Laureates all-time |
8
|
8
|
| 3-Michelin-Star Restaurants current guide |
9
|
15
|
Figures as of 2026. Sources: IMF, EIA/OPEC, Henley Passport Index, UNWTO, Forbes, Michelin Guide, Nobel Foundation.
Cost of Living
|
Metric
All indices use New York City as base (100)
Lower values indicate lower costs.
|
China
|
Spain
|
|---|---|---|
| Cost of Living Index |
|
N/A |
| Rent Index |
|
N/A |
| Groceries Index |
|
N/A |
| Restaurant Price Index |
|
N/A |
| Local Purchasing Power |
|
N/A |
| Common Expenses Comparison | ||
| Meal at Inexpensive Restaurant (USD) | $5 | N/A |
| Three-Course Meal for 2 (USD) | $25 | N/A |
| Monthly Rent - City Center (USD) | $600 | N/A |
| Monthly Rent - Outside Center (USD) | $380 | N/A |
| Monthly Utilities (USD) | $50 | N/A |
| Internet (60 Mbps, USD) | $20 | N/A |
| Monthly Public Transport Pass (USD) | $30 | N/A |
Historical Data
Basic Information
| Metric | China | Spain |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1412600000 | 47420000 |
| Area (sq km) | 9596961 | 505992 |
| Capital | Beijing | Madrid |
| Official Language | Mandarin Chinese | Spanish |
| Currency | Renminbi (Yuan, CNY) | Euro (EUR) |
| Government Type | Unitary one-party socialist republic | Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
Military Strength
| Metric | China | Spain |
|---|---|---|
| Active Personnel | 2,035,000 | 120,350 |
| Reserve Personnel | 510,000 | 15,150 |
| Total Military Personnel | 2,545,000 | 135,500 |
| Defense Budget (USD) | $292,000,000,000 | $14,900,000,000 |
| Tanks | 5,651 | 327 |
| Armored Vehicles | 35,000 | 2,040 |
| Self-Propelled Artillery | 4,120 | 96 |
| Towed Artillery | 6,246 | 56 |
| Rocket Projectors | 2,430 | 0 |
Economy
| Metric | China | Spain |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (USD) | $17,963,200,000,000 | $1,425,000,000,000 |
| GDP Per Capita (USD) | $12,720 | $30,050 |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 4.0% | 13.8% |
| GINI Index (Income Inequality) | 38.5 | 34.7 |
| Currency | Renminbi (Yuan, CNY) | Euro (EUR) |
| Direct Currency Comparison (1 unit of row currency equals X units of column currency) | ||
| China Currency | 1.00 (Same) | 7.7353 Stronger |
| Spain Currency | 0.1293 Weaker | 1.00 (Same) |
| USD Base Exchange Rates (All calculations use USD as the base currency) | ||
| Currency | CNY | EUR |
| 1 USD equals | 6.8086 CNY Updated: 2026-06-27 | 0.8802 EUR Updated: 2026-06-27 |
Interesting Comparisons & Trivia
Did You Know?
China is 19.0 times larger in area than Spain.
That's a massive difference!
China has 29.8 times more people than Spain.
With over a billion people, that's more than 1/8 of humanity!
Spain has the highest GDP per capita at $30,050 among the selected countries.
China has the largest economy with a GDP of
$17.96 trillion.
China has the largest active military personnel with 2,035,000 troops.
China has the largest air force with 3,285 aircraft.
China has the largest navy with 777 vessels.
China Fact: China produces more than 1.4 billion tons of rice annually, feeding nearly 20% of the world's population.
China vs Spain: Key Comparisons
Economy: China's GDP of $18.0T is 12.6x larger than Spain's $1.4T — both among the world's largest economies.
Population: China's population of 1.4B is 29.8x larger than Spain's 47M.
Area: China covers 9,596,961 km², making it 19.0x larger than Spain.
Military: China fields 2Million active troops vs Spain's 120Thousand.
Trade: China runs a trade surplus of $534B while Spain runs a trade surplus of $72B.
Life Expectancy: Spain leads with a life expectancy of 84 years vs China's 77.
Data compiled from World Bank, IMF, Global Firepower, SIPRI, Numbeo, and Pew Research.
Last updated June 2026.
Sources & methodology