The United States has a higher per capita GDP ($76,398 vs $12,720) and larger economy by nominal terms, while China has the world's largest population (1.4B vs 335M) and leads in manufacturing output. The US excels in innovation and military spending, while China dominates in trade volume and infrastructure investment.
United States vs China — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Federal republic with the world's largest economy and military superpower status.
One-party socialist state with world's second-largest economy, dominant manufacturing sector, and 1.4 billion population.
GDP (Nominal). GDP Per Capita. Population. Military Spending. Patent Filings (Annual). Manufacturing Output. Life Expectancy
The United States maintains advantages in per capita wealth, innovation ecosystems, military capability, and living standards, making it superior for high-income opportunities and quality of life. China excels in manufacturing scale, raw economic output, patent volume, and infrastructure development, making it the stronger manufacturing and infrastructure hub. Choose the US for innovation-driven opportunities and advanced services; choose China for manufacturing scale and emerging market growth.
United States of America: $28.7 trillion | People's Republic of China: $17.9 trillion
United States of America: $31.82 trillion | People's Republic of China: $35.0+ trillion
United States of America: 22.73% | People's Republic of China: 14.77%
United States of America: 6.31x higher | People's Republic of China: 1.0x (baseline)
United States of America: Emerging leader, <30% | People's Republic of China: 70%
United States of America: ~15% | People's Republic of China: 35%
Combined Global Economic Share (Nominal)
United States of America: 42.46% (combined US-China) | People's Republic of China: 42.46% (combined US-China)
United States of America: $89,000+ | People's Republic of China: $14,100
United States of America: 23.6% | People's Republic of China: 15.2%
United States of America: 18% | People's Republic of China: 70%
United States of America: ~15% | People's Republic of China: 80%+
Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery Production
United States of America: 6% | People's Republic of China: 94%
United States of America: 2.5% | People's Republic of China: 4.7%
United States of America: €10,266.8B | People's Republic of China: $6,240,157.8M
United States of America: €925,796.8M | People's Republic of China: $313.7 billion
United States of America: €3,981 | People's Republic of China: €467
United States of America: 20% | People's Republic of China: 70%
United States of America: $27.6 trillion | People's Republic of China: N/A
United States of America: $821 billion | People's Republic of China: N/A
United States of America: 57 | People's Republic of China: N/A
United States of America: 6,300 | People's Republic of China: N/A
United States of America: Advanced semiconductors, AI, quantum computing, defense tech | People's Republic of China: N/A
United States of America: $15.29 trillion | People's Republic of China: $45.78 trillion
United States of America: $94,800 | People's Republic of China: $15,000
United States of America: 2.0-2.5% | People's Republic of China: 4.5-4.8%
United States of America: ~18% | People's Republic of China: 35%
United States of America: $30.1 trillion | People's Republic of China: $17.9 trillion
United States of America: 2.0–2.5% | People's Republic of China: 4.6–4.8%
United States of America: <5% | People's Republic of China: 80%+
United States of America: 4.5% | People's Republic of China: ~4.0% (estimated)
United States of America: $76,398 | People's Republic of China: $12,720
United States of America: 16% | People's Republic of China: 28%
United States of America: $2.9T | People's Republic of China: $7.8T
United States of America: $820 billion | People's Republic of China: $296 billion
United States of America: 3.4% | People's Republic of China: 2.1%
United States of America: 743 km | People's Republic of China: 45,000 km
United States of America: 9.8 million km² | People's Republic of China: N/A
United States of America: 36 people/sq mi | People's Republic of China: N/A
United States of America: $12,914 per capita | People's Republic of China: N/A
United States of America: 4.7 per 100k | People's Republic of China: N/A
United States of America: 0.41 | People's Republic of China: N/A
United States of America: 1,290 thousand | People's Republic of China: N/A
United States of America: 1,770 | People's Republic of China: N/A
United States of America: 27 universities | People's Republic of China: 8 universities
United States of America: $384 billion (2023) | People's Republic of China: $189 billion (2023)
United States of America: $27.3 trillion | People's Republic of China: $17.9 trillion
United States of America: 614,000 | People's Republic of China: 1,500,000
United States of America: 707 GW | People's Republic of China: 1,854 GW
United States of America: 4.7 physicians | People's Republic of China: 2.1 physicians
United States of America: $27.36 trillion | People's Republic of China: $17.99 trillion
United States of America: $820 billion | People's Republic of China: $292 billion
United States of America: 371.8 | People's Republic of China: 1,200
United States of America: $27.3 trillion | People's Republic of China: $17.8 trillion
United States of America: $27.4 trillion | People's Republic of China: N/A
United States of America: 6.3 | People's Republic of China: N/A
United States of America: $11,945 | People's Republic of China: N/A
United States of America: 2.1 billion | People's Republic of China: N/A
United States of America: 79.3 million | People's Republic of China: N/A
United States of America: 735 km | People's Republic of China: 45,000 km
United States of America: 61% | People's Republic of China: 22%
United States of America: 335 million | People's Republic of China: 1,426 million
United States of America: 78.4 years | People's Republic of China: 77.9 years
United States of America: 5.0 billion | People's Republic of China: 12.3 billion
United States of America: $2.1 trillion | People's Republic of China: $4.7 trillion
United States of America: 312 million | People's Republic of China: 1,050 million
United States of America: $28.5T | People's Republic of China: $23.8T
Average Annual GDP Growth Rate (2024-2026)
United States of America: 2.25% | People's Republic of China: 4.75%
United States of America: $84,000 | People's Republic of China: $17,000
United States of America: 206M | People's Republic of China: 920M
United States of America: 1st | People's Republic of China: 2nd
United States of America: AI, semiconductors, cloud computing | People's Republic of China: 5G, renewables, EVs
United States of America: 82% | People's Republic of China: 63%
United States of America: $27.4 trillion | People's Republic of China: $17.9 trillion
United States of America: 814,340 | People's Republic of China: 1,570,000
United States of America: 8.5% | People's Republic of China: 12.3%
United States of America: 16% of global | People's Republic of China: 28% of global
United States of America: $27.4 trillion | People's Republic of China: $17.8 trillion
United States of America: 635,000 | People's Republic of China: 1,700,000
United States of America: 2.1% | People's Republic of China: 4.2%
United States of America: 26.3% | People's Republic of China: 16.4%
United States of America: $285 billion | People's Republic of China: $163 billion
United States of America: 59% | People's Republic of China: 2.7%
United States of America: 128% | People's Republic of China: 77%
United States of America: 78.9 years | People's Republic of China: 78.2
United States of America: 99.0% | People's Republic of China: N/A
United States of America: 4.1% | People's Republic of China: N/A
United States of America: $74,580 | People's Republic of China: N/A
United States of America: $820B | People's Republic of China: $296B
United States of America: 635,000 | People's Republic of China: 1,500,000
United States of America: 91% | People's Republic of China: 76%
United States of America: $0.13 trillion | People's Republic of China: $3.27 trillion
United States of America: $27.4T | People's Republic of China: $17.8T
United States of America: 335 million | People's Republic of China: 1,430M
United States of America: 0.921 | People's Republic of China: 0.796
United States of America: 605,000 | People's Republic of China: 738,000
United States of America: $848 billion | People's Republic of China: $612 billion
United States of America: N/A | People's Republic of China: $17.9 trillion
United States of America: N/A | People's Republic of China: 4.8%
United States of America: N/A | People's Republic of China: 38.4 years
United States of America: N/A | People's Republic of China: €469
JPMorgan Growth Leadership Outlook (2026)
United States of America: N/A | People's Republic of China: Secondary
United States of America: N/A | People's Republic of China: $18.74T
United States of America: N/A | People's Republic of China: 5.0-5.3%
United States of America: N/A | People's Republic of China: 32.94%
United States of America: N/A | People's Republic of China: €299,621.7M
United States of America: N/A | People's Republic of China: $620,062.8M
United States of America: N/A | People's Republic of China: €11,242
United States of America: N/A | People's Republic of China: 392 robots per 10k workers
United States of America: N/A | People's Republic of China: 60%
How to choose between United States of America and People's Republic of China
Compare United States of America vs People's Republic of China
United States vs China — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for United States vs China. Contains 116 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
United States vs China — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for United States vs China.
The US has a stronger per capita economy with $27.36 trillion nominal GDP and $76,398 per capita income, while China has the second-largest economy at $17.99 trillion but only $12,720 per capita. China leads in manufacturing output ($4.7T vs $2.1T) and total exports ($3.59T vs $2.07T), making each strong in different sectors.
The US leads in breakthrough innovation with world-class research institutions and dominance in software/AI patents, while China leads in patent volume with 1.5 million filings annually (vs 614,000 US filings as of 2023). China's volume is partly due to government incentives for low-value patents, while US patents tend to be higher-quality.
The US has significantly higher living standards with GDP per capita of $76,398 versus China's $12,720 (81% higher). Americans enjoy lower poverty rates (10.4% vs 4.5%), better healthcare access, and higher average wages, though wealth inequality is severe in both nations.
Which country has better infrastructure?
China leads in infrastructure development with 45,000 km of high-speed rail (vs US 743 km), newer highways, and modern metro systems. However, the US has more mature, reliable infrastructure and higher quality standards in many sectors. China is building faster; the US maintains better.
Who will be the largest economy by 2030?
The US is projected to maintain the world's largest nominal GDP through 2030, though the gap will narrow. China may surpass the US in PPP (purchasing power parity) GDP around 2025-2030 but nominal GDP comparisons depend heavily on exchange rates and growth rates.
How to Choose Between United States of America and People's Republic of China
GDP (Nominal): United States of America has $27.36 trillion, while People's Republic of China has $17.99 trillion.
GDP Per Capita: United States of America has $76,398, while People's Republic of China has $12,720.
Population: United States of America has 335 million, while People's Republic of China has 1.426 billion.
Military Spending: United States of America has $820 billion, while People's Republic of China has $296 billion.
Patent Filings (Annual): United States of America has 614,000, while People's Republic of China has 1.5 million.
Manufacturing Output: United States of America has $2.1 trillion, while People's Republic of China has $4.7 trillion.
Life Expectancy: United States of America has 78.4 years, while People's Republic of China has 77.9 years.