Ranking Countries

CHN · Asia · refreshed Aug 10, 2026

If China were a US state

It would sit in the top half on 15 of 23 measures — and come first on 9 of them.

Map showing where China is in the world
9th
median, of 52
74th
median, world
9
first places
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Countries that rank like China

Head to head: China vs the United States, measure by measure · or against North Macedonia.

From the blog: How representative are country rankings?

All 68 measures →Every country ranked →Every US state →All the Top 10s →The overall board →How we read the data →

Common questions

Questions people ask about China

If China were a US state, how would it rank?

Across 23 measures of health, safety, money, education and the environment, China's median rank would be 9th on a list of the 50 states plus Washington, DC. It lands in the top half of that list on 15 of the 23 measures.

Is China richer than the average US state?

China's GDP per capita is $29,333, price-adjusted so states and countries sit on one scale. That would rank 52nd of 52 among the states — poorer than most US states. Source: World Bank (PPP), 2025. See the full ranking

What is life expectancy in China vs the US?

People in China live 78 years on average — 0.9 years shorter than the US figure of 78.9 years. Among the states, China would rank 13th of 52. Source: World Bank / UN Population Division, 2024. See the full ranking

How safe is China compared to US states?

China's homicide rate is 0.5 per 100k — a lower rate than every US state. Ranked with the states on the lowest rate, it would come 1st of 52. Source: UNODC / WHO, 2020. See the full ranking

Where does China rank in the world?

On the 29 measures with wide global coverage, China's median rank is 74th out of roughly 190 countries (coverage varies by measure). Rank 1st means best in the world.

What is China best at?

Compared with US states, China's strongest measure is lowest homicide rate: at 0.5 per 100k, it would rank 1st of 52. It does equally well on lowest gun deaths. Source: UNODC / WHO, 2020. See the full ranking

What is China weakest at?

China's weakest showing is average wages: 1,435 $/month (PPP) would rank 52nd of 52 — last place on the list. Source: ILO (ILOSTAT), 2022. See the full ranking

How happy are people in China?

China scores 6.07 / 10 for self-reported life satisfaction, ranking 67th of 162 countries worldwide. Source: World Happiness Report, 2025. See the full ranking

How big is China compared to a US state?

China has about 1,406.6 million people — more people than any US state. Dropped into the list of 50 states plus DC, it would rank 1st of 52 by population. Source: World Bank, 2025. See the full ranking