Different parameters to compare India and China
India and China are two countries that are always compared with each other on the global platform. This is mainly because both these countries are developing superpowers from Asia. Both India and China have got several similarities and also have an equal number of differences. India and China both of these countries are highly populous. As we all know, China stands first on the list of countries with the highest population and India lies second. India is not very much behind and in the coming years, it's predicted that India will soon overtake China's population. Both these countries are arch-rivals when it comes to economy and Chinese goods are highly disregarded in India. The tension between the countries is justified due to the past as well. India and China have been involved in several wars and frequently have border conflicts. Today let us look at 13 parameters to compare India and China and differentiate India and China from one another!
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13 parameters to compare India and China
Area
India and China both are huge countries when it comes to the area. They're two of the biggest countries in Asia. Both these have always been in constant tussle over the border region of North East India. Chinese troops are often found intruding the border region and claiming a few parts of India. On the world's list of the countries with the highest area, China and India stand at 3rd and 7th position respectively. China is geographically huge and borders several countries. It acts as a link between the southeast Asian countries and the Soviet countries. The area of China is 9,596,960 sq km and the area of India Is 3,287,263 sq km.
Population
China and India are both well known for their high population on a worldwide scale. The population of both these countries has been growing and outnumbering itself every year. Both these countries are developing countries and are known for their human resources. Employees from India and China are both highly respected all around the world and are believed to be very knowledgeable. The population of India according to a stat of May 2020 is 1,387,297,452 and that of China Is 1,439,323,776. On the world scale, China is the most populous country in the world, and India is closely following China and is placed second on the list.
Age structuring
As we've already seen, both China and India are known for their human resources and intellect all around the world. Societal members belonging to these countries are respected in all professions. Hence, we can expect a large youth population in both these countries. Let's see how the age structuring differentiate India and china
India age structuring
China age structuring
Population growth rate
When it comes to parameters to compare India and China, the population is always a major criterion. The population of both these countries had been growing uncontrollably for a few years now. China's population growth however is lesser and is being brought into control by the implementation of the single child policy. However, India's population growth is going out of hand and is worrisome. Continuing at the same rate, within no time India is bound to outnumber the Chinese population. The population growth rate of China as of May 2014 is 0.44 Percent and the growth rate of India is about 1.25 percent.
Life expectancy
Life expectancy is a parameter that conveys volumes about the efficiency of the healthcare system of a country. Well, China beats India when it comes to life expectancy at birth. This is mainly because of the well-developed health care infrastructure of China when compared to India. India still has miles to go in terms of healthcare. Infrastructure development in the healthcare industry is a matter of concern in India. The life expectancy at birth in India is 69 years and that of China is 75.15 years.
Expenditure on education and health
The education and health status of a country are great parameters to judge a country's development status. The average expenditure is done on education and health also tells us about the mentality of the population and outlook towards the importance of literacy. India lags behind here as well with just 5.1 percent of the GDP being related to the education and healthcare system. On the other hand, china spends 7.1 percent of its GDP on the education and health sector.
Labour force
Both China and India are greatly labor-intensive. Due to the high populations of these countries, human resources are in abundance. Due to the high availability of human resources, the labor force is high. India is an agriculturally rich country, i.e. even today a large percentage of the population is dependent on agriculture to earn a living. Whereas China is known for its manufacturing industry and service industry. Given below is the distribution of labor force in both these countries
India
China
Unemployment rates
Although a high population guarantees abundance of human resources, it also adds to the unemployment rates. This is because, higher is the population, the more is the competition. Hence unemployment rates in both these countries are pretty high. The unemployment rate of India is even higher due to the lack of infrastructure and literacy. The unemployment rates of India and China are 24 percent and 4.5 percent respectively.
Economies
Despite the considerably high rates of unemployment, the economies of both these countries are at par with the global market. China is a much larger economy when compared to India mainly because of the flourishing of the manufacturing industries. The economy of China is US＄ 27,804,953 million and is in fact the highest in the world, India is not way behind and stands at the 4th position with an economy of US＄ 11,321,280 million.
GDP
GDP is the right parameter to compare the economies of both countries. GDP stands for Gross Domestic Product and is the cumulative sum of all the business done in a financial year. Considering the contribution of service and manufacturing industries in China, China's GDP is much higher and grows at a rate of 2.3% and India's GDP growth rate as of quarter 4 2020 is 1.2 percent.
GDP composition
As we just saw, GDP is the cumulative sum of all the business done in a financial year. It takes into consideration all the sectors. Every business transaction is taken into consideration while finding the GDP. Let us take a look at the composition of the GDP of both the countries
India
China
External debt
Foreign debt or external debt is the amount of money a country owes to another country. This money can be the money paid for imports, international loans, and other such monetary funds. China has a higher amount of external debt in comparison to India, the external debt of China is US＄2 trillion dollars as of June 2019 and that of India is US＄ 564 billion as of December 2019
Defense budget
Both India and China are highly defense-oriented and spend a great deal of money on arms and ammunition. Both the countries have troubles on their borders and hence a strong army is a necessity. The defense forces of both these countries are extremely strong and they've both got nuclear weapons. The defense budget of India is US＄ 70 billion as of February 2020 and that of China is US＄178 billion.
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FAQs on India and China - Two Superpowers of Asia
1. After taking a look at the 13 parameters to compare India and China, what can we conclude?
We looked at different parameters to compare India and China and attempted to differentiate India and china. From the detailed differentiation, we can conclude that India still has several areas of improvement in terms of education, economy, and healthcare. We're on our way to becoming a developed country and not way behind china but still have a long way to go!
2. What can we say about the literacy rates of China and India?
Both China and India are human resource-oriented countries and possess a large labor force. Literacy is considered important in both these countries and the governments run several campaigns to enhance literacy and motivate people to take up education. The literacy rate of India has been increasing over the years and currently stands at about 75 percent. On the other hand, China is well ahead of us in terms of literacy with a swashbuckling literacy rate of 96.84 percent!
