China, mainland vs India: Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population

China, mainland
272,509 1000 No
in 2050
India
782,365 1000 No
in 2050
China, mainland rank
3rd
India rank
1st

Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population over time

  • China, mainland
  • India
200.0k400.0k600.0k800.0k1.0M195020002050

How they compare

India currently reports 782,365 1000 No against 272,509 1000 No in China, mainland, a difference of 509,856 1000 No.

That makes India's figure about 2.9 times China, mainland's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 101 shared years of data; in 1950 it was China, mainland ahead.

China, mainland ranks 3rd and India ranks 1st of 221 countries.

Across the 11 decades both report, China, mainland averaged higher in 5 and India in 6.

Head to head by decade

Decade China, mainland India Difference Ahead
1950s 521,412 1000 No 335,455 1000 No 185,957 1000 No China, mainland
1960s 594,903 1000 No 401,209 1000 No 193,694 1000 No China, mainland
1970s 748,774 1000 No 484,569 1000 No 264,206 1000 No China, mainland
1980s 825,648 1000 No 585,782 1000 No 239,866 1000 No China, mainland
1990s 853,526 1000 No 699,196 1000 No 154,330 1000 No China, mainland
2000s 765,643 1000 No 804,097 1000 No 38,454 1000 No India
2010s 627,920 1000 No 875,931 1000 No 248,012 1000 No India
2020s 490,003 1000 No 906,694 1000 No 416,691 1000 No India
2030s 379,984 1000 No 889,346 1000 No 509,362 1000 No India
2040s 305,629 1000 No 827,635 1000 No 522,006 1000 No India
2050s 272,509 1000 No 782,365 1000 No 509,856 1000 No India

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher population - est. & proj. — rural population, China, mainland or India?
India, at 782,365 1000 No against 272,509 1000 No in China, mainland as of 2050.
What is the difference in population - est. & proj. — rural population between China, mainland and India?
509,856 1000 No, with India ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for China, mainland and India?
101 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2050.
How do China, mainland and India rank globally for population - est. & proj. — rural population?
China, mainland ranks 3rd and India ranks 1st of 221 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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China, mainland vs India: Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 20 August 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/compare/population-est-and-proj-rural-population/china-mainland/india/

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About this data

Indicator
Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population
Unit
1000 No
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
277 places, 25,744 data points, 1950–2050
Last refreshed

The FAOSTAT Population module contains time series data on population, by sex and urban/rural. The series consist of both estimates and projections for different periods as available from the original sources, namely: 1. Population data refers to the World Population Prospects: The 2024 Revision from the UN Population Division. 2. Urban/rural population data refers to the World Urbanization Prospects: The 2018 Revision from the UN Population Division.