China vs. America by the Numbers
| CHINA | USA |
|---|---|
| GDP (purchasing power parity) | |
| $7.8 Trillion (2008) | $14.58 Trillion (2008) |
| GDP (composition by sector) | |
| Agriculture 10.6%; Industry 49.2%; Services 40.2% | Agriculture 1.2%; Industry 19.6%; Services 79.2% |
| BALANCE OF TRADE | |
| Annual inflows of foreign direct investment in 2007 rose to nearly $84 billion. By the end of 2007, nearly 7,000 domestic Chinese enterprises had made an aggregate $118 billion in direct investments in 173 countries and regions around the world.
Exports include electrical and other machinery (data and processing equipment), apparel, iron and steel, optical, and medical equipment. The US, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, and Germany are major export partners. Imports include electrical and other machinery, oil and mineral fuels, optical and medical equipment, metal ores, plastics, and organic chemicals. Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, the US, and Germany are major import partners. |
The merchandise trade deficit reached a record $847 billion in 2007, but declined to $810 billion in 2008, as a depreciating exchange rate for the dollar against most major currencies discouraged US imports and made US exports more competitive abroad.
Exports include agricultural products like soybeans, fruit, and corn; industrial supplies; capital goods like transistors, aircraft, motor vehicle parts, computers, and telecommunications equipment; and consumer goods like automobiles and medicine. Canada, Mexico, China, Japan, UK, and Germany are major export partners. Imports include agricultural products, industrial supplies like crude oil, capital goods like computers and telecommunications equipment, and consumer products like clothing and medicines. China, Canada, Mexico, Japan, and Germany are major import partners. |
| Population | |
| 1,330,044,544 (July 2008) | 303,824,640 (July 2008) |
| Ethnic groups | |
| White (80%), Black (13%), Asian (4.43%), American Indian and Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander | Han Chinese (91.5%), Zhuang, Manchu, Hui, Miao, Uyghur, Tujia, Yi, Mongol, Tibetan, Buyi, Dong, Yao, Korean, and other Nationalities (8.5%) |
| Religions | |
| Daoist (Taoist), Buddhist, Christian (3-4%), Muslim (1-2%) | Protestant (51.3%), Roman Catholic (23.9%), Mormon, Other Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, Other Unspecified |
| Languages | |
| Standard Chinese or Mandarin, Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghainese), Minbei (Fuzhou), Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka Dialects, Minority Languages | English (82.1%), Spanish (10.7%), Other Indo-European, Asian and Pacific Island |
| Literacy (age 15 and over can read and write) | |
| Total Population 90.9%; Male 95.1%, Female 86.5% | Total Population 99%; Male 99%, Female 99% |
| Number of adults/children | |
| 0-14 20.1%; 15-64 71.9%; 65+ 8% | 0-14 20.1%; 15-64 67.1%; 65+ 12.7% |
| Number of people in poverty | |
| 4.6% [more info] | N/A [more info] |
| Unemployment rate | |
| 4% officially in urban areas, including migrants may be as high at 9% | 5.7% (2008) |
| Urban vs. rural | |
| 55% rural; 45% urban [more info] | 21% rural; 79% urban [more info] |
| Top five populated cities | |
| Shanghai (12.8 million), Beijing (10.8 million), Tianjin (9.3 million), Hong Kong (7.0 million), Wuhan (5.7 million) [more info] | New York City (8 million), Los Angeles (3.7 million), Chicago (2.9 million), Houston (2 million), Philadelphia (1.5 million) [more info] |
| Environmental issues | |
| Air pollution (greenhouse gases, sulfur dioxide particulates) from reliance on coal produces acid rain; water shortages; water pollution; deforestation; trade in endangered species. | Air pollution that results in acid rain in both US and Canada, US is the largest single emitter of carbon dioxide. |
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