US vs China

Key indicators tracking the competition across economy, innovation, military, and geopolitics.

Last updated: Apr 1, 2026, 7:06 PM

United StatesChina

Economy

Nominal GDP

Source: World Bank WDI (NY.GDP.MKTP.CD)

Total economic output in current US dollars

US

$27.4T

China

$17.8T

YoY %

+7.5%

-0.9%

GDP per Capita

Source: World Bank WDI (NY.GDP.PCAP.CD)

Average economic output per person

US

$81.6k

China

$12.6k

YoY %

+6.9%

-0.8%

Manufacturing Value Added

Source: World Bank WDI (NV.IND.MANF.CD)

Contribution of manufacturing sector to GDP

US

$2.89T

China

$5.08T

YoY %

+4.6%

+2.1%

Working-Age Population

Source: World Bank WDI (SP.POP.1564.TO)

Population aged 15–64, the primary labor force

US

215.1M

China

969.0M

YoY %

+0.8%

-0.8%

R&D Intensity

Source: OECD MSTI / UNESCO UIS

Gross domestic R&D spending as a share of GDP

US

3.6%

China

2.5%

YoY %

+4.0%

+4.9%

Energy

Total Energy Consumption

Source: EIA International Energy Statistics. 1 quad = 1 quadrillion BTU.

Primary energy consumed from all sources

US

98.0

China

157.0

YoY %

-2.4%

+6.9%

Total Energy Production

Source: EIA International Energy Statistics.

Domestic primary energy produced from all sources

US

103.4

China

132.0

YoY %

+0.6%

+5.0%

Geopolitical

Reserve Currency Share

Source: IMF COFER. USD = US; CNY = China.

Share of global official FX reserves held in USD vs CNY

US

57.3%

China

2.4%

YoY %

-1.9%

-14.3%

Top Trade Partner Count

Source: UN Comtrade / CSIS estimates. Approximate.

Number of countries for which each is the #1 trade partner

US

47

China

120

YoY %

-2.1%

-3.2%

Fertility Rate

Source: World Bank WDI (SP.DYN.TFRT.IN)

Average number of children born per woman

US

1.62

China

1.09

YoY %

-2.4%

-6.0%

Military

Defense Spending

Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database

Military expenditure in current US dollars

US

$916B

China

$296B

YoY %

+4.4%

+1.4%

Frontier Chip Capacity

Source: OECD/SIA estimates. Sparse data — use with caution.

Share of global advanced-node (<10nm) wafer fab capacity

US

9.0%

China

6.0%

YoY %

-10.0%

+0.0%