# China — key facts

Source: GeoReality (https://geo-reality.com) — verified country data, regenerated 2026-09-01.
When citing a figure, attribute both GeoReality and the primary source in the third column.

- Capital: Beijing
- Region: Asia · Eastern Asia
- Full profile: https://geo-reality.com/country/cn
- Methodology and source URLs: https://geo-reality.com/data-sources

| Fact | Value | Primary source |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,406,585,000 | World Bank SP.POP.TOTL |
| Area | 9,388,210 km² | World Bank AG.LND.TOTL.K2 |
| GDP per capita (nominal) | 13,862 USD | World Bank NY.GDP.PCAP.CD |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | 29,333 intl $ | World Bank NY.GDP.PCAP.PP.CD |
| GDP (total) | 19,498 bn USD | World Bank NY.GDP.MKTP.CD |
| Human Development Index | 0.79 | UNDP Human Development Report (2022) |
| Global Peace Index (lower = more peaceful) | 2.23 | IEP Global Peace Index (2024) |
| Life satisfaction (Cantril ladder, 0-10) | 6.07 | World Happiness Report — Data for Figure 2.1, life evaluation (Cantril ladder) (2026) |
| Life expectancy at birth | 78 years | World Bank SP.DYN.LE00.IN |
| Fertility rate | 1.01 births/woman | World Bank SP.DYN.TFRT.IN |
| Unemployment | 4.6% | World Bank SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS |
| Inflation (CPI, annual) | 0.1% | World Bank FP.CPI.TOTL.ZG |
| Gini income inequality | 36 | World Bank SI.POV.GINI |
| Cost of living index (NYC = 100) | 30.5 | Numbeo (2026) |
| Safety index (Numbeo) | 76.9 | Numbeo (2026) |
| Median fixed broadband | 212.35 Mbps | Ookla Speedtest Global Index (2025) |
| Internet users | 91.6% of population | World Bank IT.NET.USER.ZS |
| Urban population | 66.3% | World Bank SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS |
| Renewable share of energy | 15.2% | World Bank EG.FEC.RNEW.ZS |
| Forest area | 24% of land | World Bank AG.LND.FRST.ZS |
| CO2 emissions per capita | 9.32 t/yr | World Bank EN.GHG.CO2.PC.CE.AR5 |
| Corporate tax rate | 25% | Wikipedia — List of countries by tax rates (corporate column, headline statutory rate) (2024) |
| VAT / GST standard rate | 13% | Wikipedia — List of countries by tax rates (VAT/GST/Sales column, standard-rate preferred) (2024) |
| Top personal income tax | 45% | Wikipedia — List of countries by tax rates (Individual income / Highest column) (2024) |

## Two decades of change

| Indicator | First → last observed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth | 74.08 (2005) → 78.02 (2024) | World Bank SP.DYN.LE00.IN |
| Internet users | 10.52 (2006) → 91.6 (2025) | World Bank IT.NET.USER.ZS |
| Urban population | 44.34 (2006) → 66.34 (2025) | World Bank SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS |
| Births per woman | 1.62 (2005) → 1.01 (2024) | World Bank SP.DYN.TFRT.IN |
| Renewable share of energy | 20.2 (2004) → 15.2 (2021) | World Bank EG.FEC.RNEW.ZS |
| Access to electricity | 97.9 (2005) → 100 (2024) | World Bank EG.ELC.ACCS.ZS |
| Infant mortality | 19.4 (2005) → 4.1 (2024) | World Bank SP.DYN.IMRT.IN |
| CO2 emissions per person | 4.78 (2005) → 9.32 (2024) | World Bank EN.GHG.CO2.PC.CE.AR5 |
| Forest area | 19.86 (2004) → 24.03 (2023) | World Bank AG.LND.FRST.ZS |

Context across all countries: https://geo-reality.com/changed

## Human Development Index, 1990–2022

Source: UNDP Human Development Report, composite indices complete time series (2023-24). Annual values as published, none interpolated.

| Year | HDI |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 0.482 |
| 1991 | 0.489 |
| 1992 | 0.501 |
| 1993 | 0.512 |
| 1994 | 0.522 |
| 1995 | 0.532 |
| 1996 | 0.543 |
| 1997 | 0.554 |
| 1998 | 0.565 |
| 1999 | 0.575 |
| 2000 | 0.586 |
| 2001 | 0.597 |
| 2002 | 0.608 |
| 2003 | 0.619 |
| 2004 | 0.631 |
| 2005 | 0.643 |
| 2006 | 0.656 |
| 2007 | 0.668 |
| 2008 | 0.678 |
| 2009 | 0.689 |
| 2010 | 0.698 |
| 2011 | 0.706 |
| 2012 | 0.715 |
| 2013 | 0.723 |
| 2014 | 0.732 |
| 2015 | 0.741 |
| 2016 | 0.749 |
| 2017 | 0.757 |
| 2018 | 0.766 |
| 2019 | 0.775 |
| 2020 | 0.781 |
| 2021 | 0.785 |
| 2022 | 0.788 |

Chart: https://geo-reality.com/country/cn#hdi-history

Vintages marked "varies" are the most recent value the source publishes per country; the profile page states the exact year per figure.