China vs India: Population (International Monetary)
China
1.41 billion
in 2024
India
1.45 billion
in 2024
China rank
2nd
India rank
1st
Population (International Monetary) over time
- China
- India
How they compare
India currently reports 1.45 billion against 1.41 billion in China, a difference of 41.97 million.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 65 shared years of data; in 1960 it was China ahead.
China ranks 2nd and India ranks 1st of 186 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, China averaged higher in 6 and India in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | India | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 714.95 million | 484.63 million | 230.32 million | China |
| 1970s | 901.94 million | 605.98 million | 295.96 million | China |
| 1980s | 1.05 billion | 764.93 million | 281.68 million | China |
| 1990s | 1.20 billion | 951.12 million | 245.72 million | China |
| 2000s | 1.30 billion | 1.14 billion | 155.00 million | China |
| 2010s | 1.37 billion | 1.32 billion | 55.96 million | China |
| 2020s | 1.41 billion | 1.43 billion | 15.19 million | India |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher population, China or India?
- India, at 1.45 billion against 1.41 billion in China as of 2024.
- What is the difference in population between China and India?
- 41.97 million, with India ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and India?
- 65 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2024.
- How do China and India rank globally for population?
- China ranks 2nd and India ranks 1st of 186 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- International Monetary Fund, published as Population. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Data on Gender-disaggregated on selected population characteristics.