CNY
…
ISK
…
Land Area
China
9,596,961 km²
Largest
Iceland
103,000 km²
1.1% of largest
China is 93.17× larger than Iceland
Population
China
LARGEST
1.41B
PEOPLE
Iceland
0.0% OF LARGEST
392.4K
PEOPLE
China has 3584.53× the population of Iceland
GDP
China
LARGEST
$19.5T
Iceland
0.2% OF LARGEST
$38.58B
Armed Forces
Active Personnel
China
LARGEST
2.04M
TROOPS
Iceland
0.0% OF LARGEST
250
TROOPS
China has 8140.00× the active personnel of Iceland
Air Force
China
LARGEST
3.29K
AIRCRAFT
Iceland
0.2% OF LARGEST
6
AIRCRAFT
China has 547.50× the aircraft of Iceland
Naval Assets
China
Iceland
Wealth
Gold Reserves
China
LARGEST
2,279.6
Metric Tonnes
Iceland
0.1% OF LARGEST
2.0
Metric Tonnes
Foreign-Exchange Reserves
China
LARGEST
$3.27T
Reserves · excl. gold
Iceland
0.2% OF LARGEST
$6B
Reserves · excl. gold
Billionaires
China
MOST
473
billionaires
Iceland
—
Oil
Proven Reserves
China
LARGEST
26
Billion barrels
Production & Consumption
China
NET IMPORTER
Production
4.1M b/d
Consumption
15.4M b/d
−11.3M b/d net
Trade (Import/Export)
China
$3,753.1B
Exports
$3,753.1B
Imports
$3,219.3B
Trade Balance
+$533.7B
Trade Surplus
Iceland
$14.1B
Exports
$14.1B
Imports
$14.5B
Trade Balance
$-0.4B
Trade Deficit
Drinks per Person
Coffee
kg / person / yr
Iceland
supply
China
consumption
Tea
kg / person / yr
China
consumption
Iceland
supply
Beer
litres / person / yr
Iceland
supply
China
consumption
Wine
litres / person / yr
Iceland
supply
China
consumption
Alcohol
litres pure alcohol / person / yr
Iceland
consumption
China
consumption
Smoking
% of adults 15+ who smoke
China
Iceland
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
Iceland
0
Gold
2
Silver
2
Bronze
4
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 4
❄ Winter: 0
Religious Demographics
Religious Distribution
Religious Composition by Country
China
Iceland
Age Demographics
Median Age
China
39.0
YEARS
10
30
50
70
Iceland
37.8
YEARS
10
30
50
70
Age Distribution
Population breakdown by age bracket (percentage)
Demographic Insights
Age Gap
China is 1.2 years older (median) than Iceland
Youth Population
Iceland has the highest youth population at 39.7% (under 30)
Elderly Population
China has the highest elderly population at 19.0% (60+)
Global Statistics
| Metric |
China
|
Iceland
|
|---|---|---|
| Travel & Mobility | ||
| Passport Power visa-free destinations |
85
|
— |
| Tourist Arrivals per year |
65.7M
|
— |
| Culture & Prestige | ||
| Nobel Laureates all-time |
8
|
1
|
| 3-Michelin-Star Restaurants current guide |
12
|
0
|
| UNESCO Heritage Sites inscribed sites |
56
|
3
|
Figures as of 2026. Sources: IMF, EIA/OPEC, Henley Passport Index, UNWTO, Forbes, Michelin Guide, Nobel Foundation, UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
Cost of Living
|
Metric
All indices use New York City as base (100)
Lower values indicate lower costs.
|
China
|
Iceland
|
|---|---|---|
| Cost of Living Index |
|
|
| Rent Index |
|
|
| Groceries Index |
|
|
| Restaurant Price Index |
|
|
| Local Purchasing Power |
|
|
| Common Expenses Comparison | ||
| Meal at Inexpensive Restaurant (USD) | $5 | $25 |
| Three-Course Meal for 2 (USD) | $25 | $100 |
| Monthly Rent - City Center (USD) | $600 | $1,800 |
| Monthly Rent - Outside Center (USD) | $380 | $1,400 |
| Monthly Utilities (USD) | $50 | $180 |
| Internet (60 Mbps, USD) | $20 | $60 |
| Monthly Public Transport Pass (USD) | $30 | $55 |
Health
Healthcare spending, capacity and outcomes. Sources: World Bank / WHO — the year tag shows each figure’s vintage; “—” means the country doesn’t report that metric.
Health spending / person
Iceland
China
Physicians per 1,000
Iceland
China
Hospital beds per 1,000
China
Iceland
Diabetes prevalence
China
Iceland
Obesity prevalence
Iceland
China
Suicide rate per 100k
Iceland
China
Want the long view?
GDP, population, reserves & trade for China vs Iceland — charted over the decades.
Basic Information
| Metric | China | Iceland |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1406585000 | 392404 |
| Area (sq km) | 9596961 | 103000 |
| Capital | Beijing | Reykjavik |
| Official Language | Mandarin Chinese | Icelandic |
| Currency | Renminbi (Yuan, CNY) | Icelandic Króna (ISK) |
| Government Type | Unitary one-party socialist republic | Unitary parliamentary republic |
Military Strength
| Metric | China | Iceland |
|---|---|---|
| Active Personnel | 2,035,000 | 250 |
| Reserve Personnel | 510,000 | 0 |
| Total Military Personnel | 2,545,000 | 250 |
| Defense Budget (USD) | $292,000,000,000 | $45,000,000 |
| Tanks | 5,651 | 0 |
| Armored Vehicles | 35,000 | 0 |
| Self-Propelled Artillery | 4,120 | 0 |
| Towed Artillery | 6,246 | 0 |
| Rocket Projectors | 2,430 | 0 |
Economy
| Metric | China | Iceland |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (USD) | $19,498,039,388,043 | $38,582,528,789 |
| GDP Per Capita (USD) | $13,862 | $98,323 |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 4.6% | 3.6% |
| GINI Index (Income Inequality) | 36.0 | 26.8 |
| Currency | Renminbi (Yuan, CNY) | Icelandic Króna (ISK) |
| Loading current exchange rates… | ||
Interesting Comparisons & Trivia
Did You Know?
China is 93.2 times larger in area than Iceland.
That's a massive difference!
China has 3584.5 times more people than Iceland.
With over a billion people, that's more than 1/8 of humanity!
Iceland has the highest GDP per capita at $98,323 among the selected countries.
China has the largest economy with a GDP of
$19.5 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 Iceland: Key Comparisons
Economy: China's GDP of $19.5T is 505.4x larger than Iceland's $39B — both among the world's largest economies.
Population: China's population of 1.4B is 3584.5x larger than Iceland's 392,404.
Area: China covers 9,596,961 km², making it 93.2x larger than Iceland.
Military: China fields 2Million active troops vs Iceland's 250.
Trade: China runs a trade surplus of $534B while Iceland has a trade deficit of $0B.
Life Expectancy: Iceland leads with a life expectancy of 83 years vs China's 78.
Data compiled from World Bank, IMF, Global Firepower, SIPRI, Numbeo, and Pew Research.
Last updated August 2026.
Sources & methodology