China vs India: Number of people with and without electricity access
China
1.41 billion people
in 2024
India
1.45 billion people
in 2024
China rank
2nd
India rank
1st
Number of people with and without electricity access over time
- China
- India
How they compare
India currently reports 1.45 billion people against 1.41 billion people in China, a difference of 40.51 million people.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 25 shared years of data; in 2000 it was China ahead.
China ranks 2nd and India ranks 1st of 214 countries.
Across the 3 decades both report, China averaged higher in 2 and India in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | India | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1.27 billion people | 771.79 million people | 499.24 million people | China |
| 2010s | 1.37 billion people | 1.14 billion people | 230.44 million people | China |
| 2020s | 1.41 billion people | 1.41 billion people | 230,000 people | India |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher number of people with and without electricity access, China or India?
- India, at 1.45 billion people against 1.41 billion people in China as of 2024.
- What is the difference in number of people with and without electricity access between China and India?
- 40.51 million people, with India ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and India?
- 25 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2024.
- How do China and India rank globally for number of people with and without electricity access?
- China ranks 2nd and India ranks 1st of 214 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Data compiled from multiple sources by the World Bank – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Number of people with and without electricity access. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Access to electricity means having an electricity source that can provide very basic lighting, and charge a phone or power a radio for 4 hours per day.