United States compared to China (2024)

China (sometimes abbreviated PRC) is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 9,326,410 sq km. For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences, but in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the country was beset by civil unrest, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. After World War II, the communists under MAO Zedong established an autocratic socialist system that, while ensuring China's sovereignty, imposed strict controls over everyday life and cost the lives of tens of millions of people. After 1978, MAO's successor DENG Xiaoping and other leaders focused on market-oriented economic development and by 2000 output had quadrupled. For much of the population, living standards have improved dramatically and the room for personal choice has expanded, yet political controls remain tight. Since the early 1990s, China has increased its global outreach and participation in international organizations.

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How big is China compared to United States? See an in-depth size comparison.

United States compared to China (2024)

FAQs

How does China compare to the United States? ›

China is approximately 9,596,960 sq km, while United States is approximately 9,833,517 sq km, making United States 2% larger than China. Meanwhile, the population of China is ~1.4 billion people (1.1 billion fewer people live in United States).

Will China overtake us in technology? ›

The study, which was released today, found that China has a “stunning lead” in 37 out of 44 critical and emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and robotics.

Which country is stronger China or us? ›

Key Points. The United States has been ranked the most powerful country in Asia in a new Lowy Institute report.

How big is the USA compared to China? ›

The U.S. and China have been head-to-head for the position of the third largest country in the world. Considering the total surface area of both the countries including land and water, the United States takes up 9.8 million square kilometers while China has 9.6 million square kilometers, according to World Atlas.

Is China more advanced than the US? ›

In other words, on a proportional basis, China is now roughly 75 percent as advanced in innovation and advanced-industry production as the United States. If this relative growth continues apace, China will surpass the United States by 2035.

What is the difference between the US and China economy? ›

As per projections by IMF for 2021, United States is leading by $6,033 bn or 1.36 times on an exchange rate basis. The economy of China is Int. $3,982 billion or 1.18x of the US on purchasing power parity basis.

Who has the best technology USA or China? ›

The United States and other western countries are losing the race with China to develop advanced technologies and retain talent, with Beijing potentially establishing a monopoly in some areas, a new report has said.

Does the US have better military technology than China? ›

Although China lags behind the United States regarding operational skills and military hardware, it has also improved relative capabilities in many areas. China has the second largest air force in the world after the United States, which has the most significant air force strength.

Is China ahead of US in artificial intelligence? ›

While American leaders fret that China might eventually overtake the U.S. in developing artificial intelligence, Beijing is already way ahead of Washington in enacting rules for the new technology.

Can China defeat US Navy? ›

An American naval expert has warned US military planners that the US Navy might lose to China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy, which enjoys a substantial numerical advantage over the US, saying, “the side with the most ships almost always wins.”

Why is the US military so powerful? ›

The U.S. Armed Forces has significant capabilities in both defense and power projection due to its large budget, resulting in advanced and powerful technologies which enables a widespread deployment of the force around the world, including around 800 military bases outside the United States.

What is the strongest country in the world? ›

The United States remains the most powerful country in the world, followed by China and Russia. However, the balance of power may shift in the coming years as countries like India and Brazil continue to grow economically and assert themselves on the global stage.

Is China more populated than the US? ›

United States vs China by population

China and the United States are the most and 3rd most populous country in the world, respectively. China and the United States together account for about 22.7% of the total world population.

How big is China's military? ›

People's Liberation Army
Military age18
ConscriptionYes by law, however, it was never enforced since 1949.
Active personnel2,035,000 (2022) (ranked 1st)
Reserve personnel510,000 (2022)
29 more rows

Does China rely on the US? ›

China has shifted purchases away from the United States to reduce its reliance on US suppliers, but US farmers remain highly dependent on the Chinese market. In 2022, around 19 percent of US agriculture exports went to China, up from 14 percent in 2017 and 13 percent in 2009.

How much does the US owe China? ›

Top Foreign Holders of U.S. Debt
RankCountryU.S. Treasury Holdings
2🇨🇳 China$867B
3🇬🇧 United Kingdom$655B
4🇧🇪 Belgium$354B
5🇱🇺 Luxembourg$329B
6 more rows
Mar 24, 2023

Does China rely on the US for food? ›

Corn, Sorghum, and Alfalfa Hay

China has boosted its corn supplies with imports mostly from the United States. China is also a major buyer of other U.S. feedstuffs including sorghum and alfalfa hay. Like demand for soybeans, robust demand from pork and poultry sectors propelled higher volumes of feed grain imports.

What if the US stopped buying from China? ›

Answer and Explanation: It is unlikely that China's economy will collapse if U.S. stops buying Chinese goods. Trade is an important part of any economy, and a very important part of China's economy. According to the World Bank, exports account for 20% of China's gross domestic product.

Is China in a debt crisis? ›

China's $23 Trillion Local Debt Crisis Threatens Xi's Economy - Bloomberg.

Which is strongest economy in world? ›

According to the latest available data from the World Bank, the United States of America is currently the world's largest economy, with a GDP of over $23 trillion in 2021.

Which country is no 1 in technology in world? ›

Because which country is more advanced than another is subjective, we used the rankings of Global Finance's list for the Most Technologically Advanced Countries In The World 2022 with the only difference being we put the United States in the first spot since it leads the world in technology and it is the home to ...

Is the US more productive than China? ›

With China only about 50% as efficient as the U.S. in how it combines labor and capital, there's still lots of room to improve. By 2050, Bloomberg Economics projects China's productivity will have caught up to 70% of the U.S. level—putting it in the typical range for countries at a comparable level of development.

Are US universities better than China? ›

China has surpassed the U.S. on a major ranking of the world's best universities. Among the 2,000 schools from more than 90 countries ranked by U.S. News & World Report, 338 Chinese universities made the list, compared to 280 American universities. It's the first time China outnumbered the U.S.

Why is the U.S. stronger than China? ›

The United States enjoys overwhelming advantages over China. The United States outweighs China in terms of gross domestic product (GDP), technology, and military spending. China's GDP is 15 percent of global GDP, compared to 24 percent of the United States.

Does China have more weapons than America? ›

The number of nuclear warheads equipped on such missiles of China has not exceeded the number of nuclear warheads equipped on such missiles of the United States. The number of land-based fixed and mobile ICBM launchers in China exceeds the number of ICBM launchers in the United States.

Does China spend more on defense than the United States? ›

All nations except China spent less than a tenth of U.S. military spending in 2021, with China spending around a third of the U.S. level. Notably, the U.K.'s relative spending declined from 9.7% in 1992 to 8.1% in 2021, while India's rose from 3.1% to 9.6% over the same period.

Is the US still the leader in AI? ›

The United States and China are vying for global leadership in AI, a technology that is transforming political, economic, and military power. The U.S. currently leads in AI, but China is rapidly catching up and has declared its intent to be the global leader by 2030.

What country has the most advanced AI? ›

The United States is the clear leader in AI development, with major tech companies headquartered there leading the charge. The United States has indisputably become the primary hub for artificial intelligence development, with tech giants like Google, Facebook, and Microsoft at the forefront of AI-driven research.

Who is leader in artificial intelligence? ›

IBM Cloud. IBM is a leader in the field of artificial intelligence. Its efforts in recent years center around IBM Watson, an AI-based cognitive service, AI software as a service, and scale-out systems designed for delivering cloud-based analytics and AI services.

Can U.S. submarines defeat China? ›

The U.S. Navy Submarine Force Could Sink The Chinese Fleet And Save Taiwan, But At The Cost Of A Quarter Of Its Boats.

Is the US Navy still the most powerful in the world? ›

According to a report by the US Defense Department, China has the largest Navy in the world in terms of the number of warships, with 355 frontline ships in 3 fleets, compared to the US Navy's 305 frontline ships.

Does China copy US military? ›

China Seems to Steal and Copy U.S. Military Multi-Domain Warfare Tactics. China's effort to steal U.S. weapons technologies and platform designs is well known. It is accompanied by an effort to replicate emerging U.S. strategies and warfare maneuvers.

Which country will start WW3? ›

Only 3 countries can be real trigger of nuclear WW3 now: USA, Russia and China. Next candidates in the future are tandems India / Pakistan, Iran / Israel. In depth SW bug of ICBM and other nuclear weapons control systems which activate nuclear attack.

How to survive WW3? ›

Stay clean and destroy potentially contaminated clothing. Wash yourself heavily with soap and “clean” water. Stay positive. Should we ever experience a devastating event such as a nuclear blast, we will all need to band together and lean on each other to make through each day going forward.

Who has a stronger military than the US? ›

China wields by far the world's largest military, with 2.8 million soldiers, sailors and airmen—twice the American number. (The United States is number two; the only other countries with more than a million active duty troops are China's neighbors—Russia, India and North Korea.)

How far advanced is the US military? ›

United States is ranked 1 of 145 out of the countries considered for the annual Global Firepower review. The nation holds a Power Index score of 0.0712 with a score of 0.0000 being considered exceptional in the GFP assessment. This country is a Top 5 world power according to the GFP index formula.

Which country has the strongest Defence? ›

Top 10 Armies in the World
  • Top 10 Armies in the World.
  • United States of America (USA) With the biggest defence budget in the world, the USA has the strongest military. ...
  • Russia Russia ranked 2 in the top 10 powerful countries in the world by Military 2023.
May 8, 2023

Who is more powerful the US or Russia? ›

The US dominates the air with far more bases, fighter jets and bombers than Russia but Russia is superior on the ground with more tanks, artillery and land vehicles. At sea, the countries are more evenly matched, but here the US has the edge with more destroyers, submarines and aircraft carriers.

Who has the most advanced military? ›

1. United States Of America. US Military has the biggest defence budget in the world. They are known for their most powerful Air Force on the planet, named as United States Air Force (USAF).

How many Americans are in China? ›

An estimate published in 2018 counted 600,000 people of other nations living in China, with 12% of those from the US; that means approximately 72,000 Americans living in China.

What is the majority race in the world? ›

Lower literacy rates are found mostly in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. The world's largest ethnic group is Han Chinese, constituting over 19% of the global population in 2011. In terms of the largest number of native speakers, Mandarin is the world's most spoken language.

How many Chinese live in USA? ›

The Chinese diaspora in the United States is comprised of approximately 5.4 million individuals who were born in China, Hong Kong, or Macao, or reported Chinese ancestry or race, according to MPI tabulation of data from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2021 ACS.

Who has the strongest air force in the world? ›

Introduction. The world's largest air forces vary in size and strength by country, with the United States having the largest air force, followed by Russia and China. The US has over 13,000 aircraft, with a significant number of planes belonging to the Army and Navy.

Is China or US Navy bigger? ›

(Washington DC) China now operates the world's largest Navy and has for several years exceeded the U.S. Navy in terms of sheer size, a fact that raises the much-considered question as to whether the People's Liberation Army – Navy (PLAN) can outmatch or simply might be superior to the U.S. Navy.

Who are China's allies? ›

China entered into diplomatic relations with Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Bangladesh and Maldives in Southeast Asia and South Asia, seven countries including Iran, Turkey and Kuwait in West Asia and the Middle East and five countries in South Pacific such as Fiji and Papua New Guinea.

What is the comparative advantage of China and US? ›

Chinese workers produce simple consumer goods at a much lower opportunity cost. The United States' comparative advantage is in specialized, capital-intensive labor. American workers produce sophisticated goods or investment opportunities at lower opportunity costs.

Is China the number 1 economy? ›

It is the world's second largest economy by nominal GDP, behind the United States, and the world's largest economy since 2016 when measured by purchasing power parity (PPP). Due to a volatile currency exchange rate, China's GDP as measured in dollars fluctuates sharply.

How would you describe the relationship between US and China? ›

In recent years, tensions between the United States and China have introduced new challenges—especially related to economic and defense issues. China is a major trading partner for the United States but it is also developing its military capabilities, which poses challenges to the U.S. military.

Are things cheaper in China or USA? ›

On average, China's cost of living is 45% lower than the U.S according to Numbeo. Rent in China is 60% lower than the U.S. on average. But the cost of items like cars and private school tuition are actually very similar. Many products commonly used in the west are imported to China, making them more expensive.

What is the biggest advantage of China in the world? ›

China ranks first in terms of trade in goods and foreign exchange reserves, and ranks second in terms of its trade in services and consumer market. In 2020, it was the largest recipient of foreign direct investment.

How much does the US benefit from China? ›

Trade surged: the value of U.S. goods imports from China rose from about $100 billion in 2001 to $500 billion in 2021. This leap in imports is due in part to China's critical position in global supply chains; Chinese factories assemble products for export to the United States using components from all over the world.

Which country will rule the world in 2025? ›

According to a recent report by Harvard University, “From economic complexity growth estimates, India is growing at the annual list at the rate of 7.9 percent as the fastest growing country for the coming decade.

How much money does US owe to China? ›

Top Foreign Holders of U.S. Debt
RankCountryU.S. Treasury Holdings
1🇯🇵 Japan$1,076B
2🇨🇳 China$867B
3🇬🇧 United Kingdom$655B
4🇧🇪 Belgium$354B
6 more rows
Mar 24, 2023

What does the US depend on China for? ›

In 2021, U.S. exports of Agricultural Products to China continue to show an upward trend. In 2021, U.S. exports of Agriculture Products were $31.6 billion, an increase of 27.5% ($6.8 billion) from $24.8 billion in 2020. In 2021, China remained the major source of U.S. imports of Textile Products.

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