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China vs Ethiopia

Flag of China

China

1,406,585,000#2 · −0.17%/yr
vs
Flag of Ethiopia

Ethiopia

135,472,051#10 · +2.55%/yr

China has 10.4× the population of Ethiopia: 1,406,585,000 vs 135,472,051, a gap of 1.27 billion. Ethiopia is growing faster (+2.55% vs −0.17% a year), adding about 3,455,994 people a year against −2,387,972. Using continuous exponential growth from the stated base year, if these rates held, Ethiopia would overtake China in about 86 years (from the 2025 population bases, around 2111) — a projection, not a forecast. China is the older society: 14.9% aged 65+ against 3.3% in Ethiopia, while Ethiopia has more children (38.8% under 15 vs 15.4%). China is 1.3× as densely populated (150.3 vs 114.0 people per km²). People in China live 10.4 years longer on average (78.0 vs 67.6). GDP per capita is 14.9× higher in China ($13,862 vs $933).

Country/territory population bases: World Bank 2025 (China) and 2025 (Ethiopia); growth years 2025 / 2025. Annual source values, not live counts; years may differ. Growth is national, not local.

China vs Ethiopia — side by side

Flag of China ChinaFlag of Ethiopia Ethiopia
Population1,406,585,0002025135,472,0512025
Growth rate / yr−0.17%2025+2.55%2025
Births per 1,0006.8202431.52024
Deaths per 1,0007.820245.92024
Children per woman1.0120243.912024
Life expectancy78.0 yrs202467.6 yrs2024
Aged 0–1415.4%202538.8%2025
Aged 65+14.9%20253.3%2025
Density150.3 /km²2023114.0 /km²2023
Area9,562,910 km²20231,136,240 km²2023
Urban population66.3%202524.1%2025
Net migration / yr-268,1262025+24,0542025
GDP per capita$13,8622025$9332025
Country population rank (available records)#2#10
Base / world population (World Bank 2025)17.12%1.65%

Highlighted cell = the higher value (not "better"). Small print under each value is its own data year. Source: World Bank; country/territory population bases may have different years. These are not live counts.

Population since 1960

World Bank population history (not the separate UN WPP timeline). China: 2.1× from 1960 to 2025; Ethiopia: 6.3× from 1960 to 2025. Left: absolute population. Right: each series indexed to its own first available year = 100; baseline years may differ.

0374.3M748.6M1.1B1.5B1960197019801990200020102020ChinaEthiopia01683365046721960197019801990200020102020ChinaEthiopia

More comparisons

Regions: East Asia & Pacific · Sub-Saharan Africa · rankings

China: China vs India, China vs United States, China vs Indonesia, China vs Pakistan, China vs Nigeria, China vs Brazil, China vs Bangladesh, China vs Russia.

Ethiopia: Ethiopia vs India, Ethiopia vs China, Ethiopia vs United States, Ethiopia vs Indonesia, Ethiopia vs Pakistan, Ethiopia vs Nigeria, Ethiopia vs Brazil, Ethiopia vs Bangladesh.

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This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.

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Interpretation reviewed 12 October 2026. Underlying reference years are stated on the page; this is not a fresh census or dataset refresh.