CNY
…
SAR
…
Land Area
China
9,596,961 km²
Largest
Saudi Arabia
2,149,690 km²
22.4% of largest
China is 4.46× larger than Saudi Arabia
Population
China
LARGEST
1.41B
PEOPLE
Saudi Arabia
2.6% OF LARGEST
36.97M
PEOPLE
China has 38.04× the population of Saudi Arabia
GDP
China
LARGEST
$19.5T
Saudi Arabia
6.5% OF LARGEST
$1.28T
Armed Forces
Active Personnel
China
LARGEST
2.04M
TROOPS
Saudi Arabia
11.2% OF LARGEST
227K
TROOPS
China has 8.96× the active personnel of Saudi Arabia
Air Force
China
LARGEST
3.29K
AIRCRAFT
Saudi Arabia
27.3% OF LARGEST
897
AIRCRAFT
China has 3.66× the aircraft of Saudi Arabia
Naval Assets
China
Saudi Arabia
Wealth
Gold Reserves
China
LARGEST
2,279.6
Metric Tonnes
Saudi Arabia
14.2% OF LARGEST
323.1
Metric Tonnes
Foreign-Exchange Reserves
China
LARGEST
$3.27T
Reserves · excl. gold
Saudi Arabia
13.4% OF LARGEST
$437B
Reserves · excl. gold
Billionaires
China
MOST
473
billionaires
Saudi Arabia
3% OF MOST
15
billionaires
Oil
Proven Reserves
Saudi Arabia
LARGEST
267
Billion barrels
China
9.7% OF LARGEST
26
Billion barrels
Production & Consumption
China
NET IMPORTER
Production
4.1M b/d
Consumption
15.4M b/d
−11.3M b/d net
Saudi Arabia
NET EXPORTER
Production
11.0M b/d
Consumption
3.8M b/d
+7.2M b/d net
Trade (Import/Export)
China
$3,753.1B
Exports
$3,753.1B
Imports
$3,219.3B
Trade Balance
+$533.7B
Trade Surplus
Saudi Arabia
$360.9B
Exports
$360.9B
Imports
$317.0B
Trade Balance
+$43.9B
Trade Surplus
Drinks per Person
Coffee
kg / person / yr
Saudi Arabia
consumption
China
consumption
Tea
kg / person / yr
China
consumption
Saudi Arabia
consumption
Beer
litres / person / yr
China
consumption
Saudi Arabia
supply
Wine
litres / person / yr
China
consumption
Saudi Arabia
consumption
Alcohol
litres pure alcohol / person / yr
China
consumption
Saudi Arabia
consumption
Smoking
% of adults 15+ who smoke
China
Saudi Arabia
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
Saudi Arabia
0
Gold
2
Silver
2
Bronze
4
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 4
❄ Winter: 0
Religious Demographics
Religious Distribution
Religious Composition by Country
China
Saudi Arabia
Age Demographics
Median Age
China
39.0
YEARS
10
30
50
70
Saudi Arabia
31.8
YEARS
10
30
50
70
Age Distribution
Population breakdown by age bracket (percentage)
Demographic Insights
Age Gap
China is 7.2 years older (median) than Saudi Arabia
Youth Population
Saudi Arabia has the highest youth population at 52.7% (under 30)
Elderly Population
China has the highest elderly population at 19.0% (60+)
Global Statistics
| Metric |
China
|
Saudi Arabia
|
|---|---|---|
| Travel & Mobility | ||
| Passport Power visa-free destinations |
85
|
91
|
| Tourist Arrivals per year |
65.7M
|
27.4M
|
| Culture & Prestige | ||
| Nobel Laureates all-time |
8
|
0
|
| 3-Michelin-Star Restaurants current guide |
12
|
0
|
| UNESCO Heritage Sites inscribed sites |
56
|
8
|
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
|
Saudi Arabia
|
|---|---|---|
| Cost of Living Index |
|
|
| Rent Index |
|
|
| Groceries Index |
|
|
| Restaurant Price Index |
|
|
| Local Purchasing Power |
|
|
| Common Expenses Comparison | ||
| Meal at Inexpensive Restaurant (USD) | $5 | $7 |
| Three-Course Meal for 2 (USD) | $25 | $35 |
| Monthly Rent - City Center (USD) | $600 | $700 |
| Monthly Rent - Outside Center (USD) | $380 | $450 |
| Monthly Utilities (USD) | $50 | $100 |
| Internet (60 Mbps, USD) | $20 | $55 |
| Monthly Public Transport Pass (USD) | $30 | $40 |
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
Saudi Arabia
China
Physicians per 1,000
Saudi Arabia
China
Hospital beds per 1,000
China
Saudi Arabia
Diabetes prevalence
Saudi Arabia
China
Obesity prevalence
Saudi Arabia
China
Suicide rate per 100k
China
Saudi Arabia
Want the long view?
GDP, population, reserves & trade for China vs Saudi Arabia — charted over the decades.
Basic Information
| Metric | China | Saudi Arabia |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1406585000 | 36973555 |
| Area (sq km) | 9596961 | 2149690 |
| Capital | Beijing | Riyadh |
| Official Language | Mandarin Chinese | Arabic |
| Currency | Renminbi (Yuan, CNY) | Saudi Riyal (SAR) |
| Government Type | Unitary one-party socialist republic | Unitary Islamic absolute monarchy |
Military Strength
| Metric | China | Saudi Arabia |
|---|---|---|
| Active Personnel | 2,035,000 | 227,000 |
| Reserve Personnel | 510,000 | 0 |
| Total Military Personnel | 2,545,000 | 227,000 |
| Defense Budget (USD) | $292,000,000,000 | $67,600,000,000 |
| Tanks | 5,651 | 1,062 |
| Armored Vehicles | 35,000 | 5,472 |
| Self-Propelled Artillery | 4,120 | 224 |
| Towed Artillery | 6,246 | 260 |
| Rocket Projectors | 2,430 | 322 |
Economy
| Metric | China | Saudi Arabia |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (USD) | $19,498,039,388,043 | $1,276,942,933,333 |
| GDP Per Capita (USD) | $13,862 | $34,537 |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 4.6% | 3.0% |
| GINI Index (Income Inequality) | 36.0 | 45.9 |
| Currency | Renminbi (Yuan, CNY) | Saudi Riyal (SAR) |
| Loading current exchange rates… | ||
Interesting Comparisons & Trivia
Did You Know?
China is 4.5 times larger in area than Saudi Arabia.
China has 38.0 times more people than Saudi Arabia.
With over a billion people, that's more than 1/8 of humanity!
Saudi Arabia has the highest GDP per capita at $34,537 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 Saudi Arabia: Key Comparisons
Economy: China's GDP of $19.5T is 15.3x larger than Saudi Arabia's $1.3T — both among the world's largest economies.
Population: China's population of 1.4B is 38.0x larger than Saudi Arabia's 37M.
Area: China covers 9,596,961 km², making it 4.5x larger than Saudi Arabia.
Military: China fields 2Million active troops vs Saudi Arabia's 230Thousand.
Trade: China runs a trade surplus of $534B while Saudi Arabia runs a trade surplus of $44B.
Life Expectancy: Saudi Arabia leads with a life expectancy of 79 years vs China's 78.
Data compiled from World Bank, IMF, Global Firepower, SIPRI, Numbeo, and Pew Research.
Last updated August 2026.
Sources & methodology