China vs India: Population by labor force status
China
218.18 million people
in 2025
India
354.19 million people
in 2025
China rank
2nd
India rank
1st
Population by labor force status over time
- China
- India
How they compare
India currently reports 354.19 million people against 218.18 million people in China, a difference of 136.00 million people.
That makes India's figure about 1.6 times China's.
Across all 35 years both countries report, India has been ahead every year.
China ranks 2nd and India ranks 1st of 186 countries.
India has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | India | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 330.89 million people | 357.54 million people | 26.65 million people | India |
| 2000s | 275.25 million people | 385.14 million people | 109.88 million people | India |
| 2010s | 254.77 million people | 383.48 million people | 128.72 million people | India |
| 2020s | 238.71 million people | 361.83 million people | 123.12 million people | India |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher population by labor force status, China or India?
- India, at 354.19 million people against 218.18 million people in China as of 2025.
- What is the difference in population by labor force status between China and India?
- 136.00 million people, with India ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and India?
- 35 years are reported by both, from 1991 to 2025.
- How do China and India rank globally for population by labor force status?
- China ranks 2nd and India ranks 1st of 186 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Population by labor force status. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Population below working age (under 15 years old).