National Comparisons: United States and China
Size:
2012-14 (est.): Population, ranked by country:
US ranks 3 out of 193 (309 million), China 1 (1.3 billion) (World Atlas)
Economy:
2014: National wealth, ranked by country: US ranking 1 ($84 trillion), China 3 ($21 trillion) (Credit Suisse)
2013-14: Global Competitiveness Index, ranked by country:
US ranking 5 out of 148, China 29 (World Economic Forum)
2009: Global Financial Center Competitiveness, ranked by country:
US ranking 2 out of 58, China 3 (City of London)
2013-2014: Foreign Exchange Reserves, ranked by country:
US ranking 17 out of 99, China 1 (IMF)
2011: Quality of overall infrastructure, ranked by country:
US ranking 23 out of 139; China 72 (World Economic Forum)
Education, Knowledge and Technology:
2014: top universities in world:
US has 11 of top 20; China none; top Chinese university: University of Hong Kong at 29;
top mainland Chinese university: Tsinghua University at 47 (QS World University Rankings)
2007: Scientific document citations, ranked by country:
US ranking 1 out of 239 (7,846,972 documents), China 2 (3,129,719 documents;
citations per document: US 22.02 per document, China 6.81 per document (SJR)
2008: Patent applications by country of origin, ranked by country:
US ranking 2 out of 191, China: 3 (WIPO)
Through 2009: Total Nobel Prizes, ranked by country:
US ranking 1 out of 58 (305 prizes), China tied for 33 (2 prizes) (Nobel Foundation)
2012: Internet User Penetration Rate, ranked by country:
US 28 out of 212, China: 102 (International Telecommunications Union)
Reputation:
2013: PEW survey of 38 countries:
Favorable ratings: US 63%, China 50%;
partner: US 59%, China 39%;
respect personal freedoms of people: US 70%, China 36%
2013: Corruption Perceptions Index, ranked by country:
US ranking: 19, China 80 (Transparency International)
Military:
2013: Defense spending:
US $612 billion, China $126 billion (Global Firepower)
2006: arms deliveries:
US $14 billion, China $700 million (Federation of American Scientists)
Well-being:
2008: Environmental Performance Index, ranked by country:
US ranking 39, China 104 (Yale University)
2011: Freedom Index, ranked by country:
US ranking tied for 1 with 47 others, China 181 (Freedom House)
2008: Freedom of the Press, ranked by country:
US ranking 9, tied with 3 others, China 70, tied with 3 others (Freedom House)
2010: Gallup Global Wellbeing Index, ranked by country:
US ranking 14 out of 155, China 127 (Gallup World Poll)
2005: Human Development Index, ranked by country:
US ranking 12 out of 159, China: 81 (United Nations Development Program)
The Internationalist 