Comparison of India and China under Economic and Social Barometer
| No. | Economic or Social factor | Unit | China | India |
| 1. | Total Area | millions of sq km | 9.60 (2.8%) | 3.29 (9.5%) |
| 2. | Arable Land | millions of sq km | 1.48 | 1.79 |
| 3. | Irrigated Land | millions of sq km | 0.53 | 0.61 |
| 4. | Railways - length | in km '000 | 71.90 | 63.23 |
| 5. | Roadways - paved - length | in km '000 | 1,447 | 2,411 |
| 6. | Waterways - length | in km '000 | 123 | 14.5 |
| 7. | Natural Gas - Proved Reserves | in billion cu m | 2,530 | 854 |
| 8. | Oil - Proved Reserves | billion bbl | 18.60 | 5.70 |
| 9. | Airports - Total/paved/unpaved | numbers | 489/389/89 | 334/239/995 |
| 10. | Coastline | in km | 14,500 | 7,000 |
| 11. | Steel Production | million tons/year | 280 | 45 |
| 12. | Food grain production | million tons/year | 418 | 210 |
| 13. | Cement Production | million tons/year | 650 | 150 |
| 14. | Crude Oil production | million tons/year | 180 | 40 |
| 15. | Coal Production | million tons/year | 1,300 | 300 |
| 16. | Electricity generated | Billions of Kilowatts | 2,190 | 557 |
| 17. | Transmission & distribution losses | as % of total power | 6.8 | 23.4 |
| 18. | Electricity tariff | US$ / 100 KW | 4 to 5 | 8 to 10 |
| 19. | Cost of commercial borrowing | as % interest/ year | 6 - 7 | 8 - 16 |
| 20. | Telephone lines connected | millions | 311 | 67 |
| 21. | TV sets in households | millions | 500 | 85 |
| 22. | Mobile/cellular phones | millions | 400 | 100 |
| 23. | Internet users | millions | 111 | 51 |
| 24. | Foreign trade (China+HongKong) | US$ billions/year | 1038+923=1961 | 260 |
| 25. | External debt (China+Hong Kong) | US$ billions | 242+416= 658 | 120 |
| 26. | Exports (China+HongKong) | US$ billions/year | 752+286= 1038 | 120 |
| 27. | Imports (China + HongKong) | US$ billions/year | 632+291= 923 | 138 |
| 28. | Tourist Arrivals | millions/year | 87 | 4 |
| 29. | TV broadcast stations | numbers | 3240 | 562 |
| 30. | Radio broadcast stations | AM/FM/short wave | 369/259/49 | 153/91/68 |
| 31. | FDI inflow (China + Hong Kong) | US$ billions/year | 106 | 8 |
| 32. | Forex Reserves (China+Hong Kong) | US$ billions | 1017+122= 1,139 | 175 |
| 33. | GDP (China+Hong Kong) | US$ billions | 2102+179= 2,281 | 750 |
| 34. | GDP Growth (2006) | in % rate over last year | 9.3 | 7.9 |
| 35. | Labour Composition | Agriculture %/Industry %/ Services % | 49/22/29 | 60/17/23 |
| 36. | Population | millions | 1,314 | 1,095 |
| 37. | Population increase per year | millions | 7.2 | 15.3 |
| 38. | Birth rate | Numbers per 1000 | 13 | 22 |
| 39. | Per Capita income | US$ per year/person | 1,498 | 658 |
| 40. | Life expectancy | Years | 74 | 64 |
| 41. | Investment | % of GDP | 44 | 25 |
| 42. | Poverty line - numbers | %/Numbers in millions | 10/131 | 25/273 |
| 43. | Inflation Rate | % | 1.9 | 4.6 |
| 44. | Median age | Numbar of years | 33 | 25 |
| 45. | Population Growth Rate | % of population | 0.59 | 1.38 |
| 46. | Infant mortality rate | Death Rate per 1,000 | 23 | 55 |
| 47. | GDP (PPP) | US$ billions | 8,182 | 3,699 |
| 48. | GDP (PPP) per person | US$ per person/year | 6,300 | 3,400 |
| 49. | Fertility Rate | children born/woman | 1.73 | 2.73 |
| 50. | Literacy Rate - Definied as age 15 and over | can read & write - % of Pop | 91 | 60 |
| 51. | Death Rate | Rate per 1,000 pop | 6.97 | 8.18 |
| 52. | Public Debt | % of GDP | 29 | 82 |
| 53. | Unemployment rate | % of workforce | 20 | 30 |
| 54. | Labour force | in millions | 797 | 496 |
| 55. | People living with HIV/AIDS | '000 (2003) | 840 | 5110 |
| 56. | Government budget Revenues/Expenditure | US$ billions | 392/424 | 111/126 |
