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Public interestEpisode 63Pyramid0:31

India vs China: two very different age pyramids

People by age band, millions, 2025

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Source: UN World Population Prospects 2024 (medium variant); China NBS (2025 births and deaths) · 2025

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Narration

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How to read this chart: Bars run back to back from a shared centre, oldest band on top. Compare the shapes of the two profiles: a wide base is a young, growing population, a top-heavy one is ageing. The dashed line on each side marks its median age, and the chip under it names the shape. More on pyramid charts.

The takeaway

Median age: India 30, China 41. China's population fell for a fourth straight year in 2025 (7.92M births, 11.31M deaths).

Transcript

  1. 255 million Indians are in their twenties. In China, it's 162 million.

  2. India now outnumbers China, but the bigger gap is age. China has 232 million people in their fifties and only 128 million under ten. In their twenties, China has 162 million. India has 255 million, while China has shrunk four years running.

  3. Whose age profile wins the next 20 years? Drop your answer below, and follow for daily stats from NumberReels.

Source & method

  • SourceFigures from UN World Population Prospects 2024 (medium variant); China NBS (2025 births and deaths).
  • PeriodCovering 2025.
  • ChartRendered as a pyramid chart.
  • ElsewhereAlso on YouTube and Instagram.

Public interest

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