India vs China: key numbers
India as a percentage of China. 100% means India has caught up. Data as of .
| Metric | Now | 1 year ago | Peak | Data since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 104.1% | 103.0% | 104.1% 2025 | 1960 |
| GDP | 20.3% | 20.1% | 102.0% 1987 | 1960 |
| GDP at PPP | 41.7% | 40.7% | 90.5% 1990 | 1990 |
The population race
In 1960 India had about two people for every three in China. The gap closed slowly for six decades. China's one-child policy, in force from 1980 to 2015, held its growth down while India's population kept growing faster. In the World Bank's current estimates India passed China in 2021, the same year China's population peaked at 1.412 billion. The United Nations dated the crossover to April 2023. The estimates differ partly because India's last completed census was in 2011.
A GDP lead India held once, in 1987
At market exchange rates India's economy was briefly the bigger of the two. In 1987, after a string of yuan devaluations, India's GDP was $279 billion to China's $273 billion. China's growth then pulled far ahead, and by 2021 India's economy was 17.4% the size of China's. It has gained some ground since. At purchasing-power parity India was 90.5% of China in 1990, the first year of that series, and fell below 40% in 2011.
Which race this page leads with
The headline number is population, the race India has already won. The GDP charts show the one it is still far behind in. The China vs US tracker follows the same World Bank series for the world's two largest economies.
These are annual figures. Each point is one calendar year from the World Bank's World Development Indicators. Recent years are estimates that the World Bank revises, and population figures for countries without a recent census rest on projections.
India vs China flip history
Every stretch where India was above China, newest first. Each point is one year. The lead has changed hands once since 1960.
| India ahead from | Until | Years | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | ongoing | 5 | 104.1% 2025 |
Frequently asked questions
Has India overtaken China?
Yes. As of 2025, India's population is 104.1% of China's, in the World Bank's annual figures. It has been ahead since 2021 (5 years). The lead has changed hands once since 1960.
What is the India/China population ratio today?
India's population is 104.1% of China's as of 2025. A year earlier, in 2024, it was 103.0%.
When did India overtake China?
India has led China once since 1960: from 2021 to today (5 years, peak 104.1%).
Has India overtaken China on any other metric?
Not at the moment. India's GDP is 20.3% of China's (2025); India was last ahead in 1987. India's GDP at purchasing-power parity is 41.7% of China's (2025); it has not been ahead since this data begins in 1990.
Where does this data come from?
Figures are from the World Bank's World Development Indicators: GDP in current US dollars at market exchange rates (NY.GDP.MKTP.CD), GDP at purchasing-power parity in current international dollars (NY.GDP.MKTP.PP.CD) and total population (SP.POP.TOTL). Each point is one calendar year; the latest year is a first estimate and is often revised. Each chart plots India as a percentage of China, so 100% is parity. The World Bank publishes these figures once a year and revises earlier years when it does; this page checks for new figures daily; the raw series are ind-chn-pop.json, ind-chn-gdp.json, ind-chn-gdp-ppp.json.