China
Visualizing How the Demographics of China and India are Diverging
How the Demographics of China and India are Diverging
Within popular discourse, especially in the West, the profiles of China and India have become inextricably linked.
Aside from their massive populations and geographical proximity in Asia, the two nations also have deep cultural histories and traditions, growing amounts of influence on the world stage, and burgeoning middle classes.
China and India combine to be home to one-third of the world’s megacities, and they even had identical real GDP growth rates of 6.1% in 2019, based on early estimates by the IMF.
Diverging Demographics
But aside from the obvious differences in their political regimes, the two populous nations have also diverged in another way: demographics.
As seen in today’s animation, which comes from AnimateData and leverages data from the United Nations, the two countries are expected to have very different demographic compositions over time as their populations age.
The easiest way to see this is through a macro lens:
Populations of China and India (1950-2100)
1950 | 2019 | 2050 | 2100 | |
---|---|---|---|---|
๐ฎ๐ณ India | 0.38 billion | 1.37 billion | 1.64 billion | 1.45 billion |
๐จ๐ณ China | 0.55 billion | 1.43 billion | 1.40 billion | 1.06 billion |
Although the countries have roughly the same populations today โ by 2050, India will add roughly 270 million more citizens, and China’s total will actually decrease by 30 million people.
Let’s look at the demographic profiles of these countries to break things down further. We’ll do this by charting populations of age groups (0-14 years, 15-24 years, 25-64 years, and 65+ years).
China: Aftermath of the One-Child Policy
China’s one-child policy was implemented in 1979 โ and although it became no longer effective starting in 2016, there’s no doubt that the long-term demographic impacts of this drastic measure will be felt for generations:
The first thing you’ll notice in the above chart is that China’s main working age population cohort (25-64 years) has essentially already peaked in size.
Further, you’ll notice that the populations of children (0-14 years) and young adults (15-24 years) have both been on the decline for decades.
A reduction in births is something that happens naturally in a demographic transition. As an economy becomes more developed, it’s common for fertility rates to decrease โ but in China’s case, it has happened prematurely through policy. As a result, the country’s age distribution doesn’t really fit a typical profile.
India: A Workforce Peaking in 2050
Meanwhile, projections have India reaching a peak workforce age population near the year 2050:
By the year 2050, it’s estimated that India’s workforce age population will be comparable in size to that of China’s today โ over 800 million people strong.
However, given that this is at least 30 years in the future, it raises all kinds of questions around the economic relevance of a “working age” population in a landscape potentially dominated by technologies such as artificial intelligence and automation.
Different Paths
While it’s clear that the world’s two most populous countries have some key similarities, they are both on very different demographic paths at the moment.
China’s population has plateaued, and will eventually decline over the remainder of the 21st century. There is plenty of room to grow economically, but the weight of an aging population will create additional social and economic pressures. By 2050, it’s estimated that over one-third of the country will be 60 years or older.
On the other hand, India is following a more traditional demographic path, as long as it is uninterrupted by drastic policy decisions. The country will likely top out at 1.6-1.7 billion people, before it begins to experience the typical demographic transition already experienced by more developed economies in North America, Europe, and Japan.
And by the time the Indian workforce age group hits 800+ million people, it will be interesting to see how things interplay with the world’s inevitable technological shift to automation and a changing role for labor.
China
Ranked: The Cities with the Most Skyscrapers in 2023
We rank the world’s leading cities with the most skyscrapers, highlighting China’s remarkable dominance in building vertically.

Ranked: The Cities with the Most Skyscrapers in 2023
When it comes to soaring skylines and architectural marvels, no country has embraced the vertical revolution quite like China.
In this graphic, which uses data from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), we reveal the 25 cities with the most skyscrapers and supertall buildings globally.
Unsurprisingly, China’s cities dominate the list, solidifying the country’s reputation as a global powerhouse of tall buildings.
The 25 Top Cities by Skyscraper Count
Topping the charts is Hong Kong, with an impressive 657 skyscrapers, including six supertalls (buildings over 300 meters tall).
Rank | City | Country | Skyscrapers (>150m) | Supertalls (>300m) |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Hong Kong | ๐จ๐ณ China | 657 | 6 |
2 | Shenzhen | ๐จ๐ณ China | 513 | 16 |
3 | New York City | ๐บ๐ธ United States | 421 | 16 |
4 | Dubai | ๐ฆ๐ช United Arab Emirates | 395 | 28 |
5 | Guangzhou | ๐จ๐ณ China | 254 | 11 |
6 | Shanghai | ๐จ๐ณ China | 250 | 5 |
7 | Kuala Lumpur | ๐ฒ๐พ Malaysia | 211 | 5 |
8 | Chongqing | ๐จ๐ณ China | 205 | 5 |
9 | Tokyo | ๐ฏ๐ต Japan | 200 | 0 |
10 | Wuhan | ๐จ๐ณ China | 183 | 5 |
11 | Chicago | ๐บ๐ธ United States | 178 | 7 |
12 | Jakarta | ๐ฎ๐ฉ Indonesia | 160 | 1 |
13 | Chengdu | ๐จ๐ณ China | 150 | 0 |
14 | Bangkok | ๐น๐ญ Thailand | 133 | 3 |
15 | Shenyang | ๐จ๐ณ China | 129 | 3 |
16 | Singapore | ๐ธ๐ฌ Singapore | 128 | 0 |
17 | Nanning | ๐จ๐ณ China | 122 | 6 |
18 | Mumbai | ๐ฎ๐ณ India | 114 | 0 |
19 | Tianjin | ๐จ๐ณ China | 109 | 3 |
20 | Nanjing | ๐จ๐ณ China | 108 | 7 |
21 | Toronto | ๐จ๐ฆ Canada | 106 | 0 |
22 | Busan | ๐ฐ๐ท South Korea | 106 | 4 |
23 | Seoul | ๐ฐ๐ท South Korea | 104 | 2 |
24 | Changsha | ๐จ๐ณ China | 97 | 5 |
25 | Melbourne | ๐ฆ๐บ Australia | 94 | 1 |
Hong Kong, along with Shenzhen (#2), and Guangzhou (#5) are part of the burgeoning megacity known as the Pearl River Delta, which is home to over 1,500 skyscrapers. This is even more impressive when considering that Shenzhen was a small fishing village until the 1970s.
New York City secures the third position on the list, boasting an impressive tally of 421 skyscrapers. Although it may have relinquished its title to Chinese cities, the city’s skyline endures as a globally renowned symbol, prominently featuring the iconic Empire State Building. Notably, while the Empire State Building enjoys widespread familiarity, it no longer ranks among the world’s 50 tallest structures.
Rounding out the top five is Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, which grabs the fourth position with 395 skyscrapers, a staggering 28 of which are supertalls. This desert oasis has become synonymous with grandiose architecture and record-breaking structures, exemplified by the Burj Khalifa, which is the world’s current tallest building at 828 meters (2,715 ft).
China’s Numbers in Context
Looking at this data from another perspective, China actually has more skyscrapers on this list than the rest of the world combined.
Country | Cities in Top 25 | Skyscrapers | Supertalls |
---|---|---|---|
๐จ๐ณ China | 12 | 2777 | 72 |
๐ Rest of World | 13 | 2350 | 67 |
China’s rapid urbanization, economic growth, and ambitious construction projects have fueled this impressive feat. There’s no doubt that the country’s relentless pursuit of vertical development, coupled with its booming population and thriving cities, has positioned China as the unrivaled leader in the global skyscraper race.
The Future of the Global Skyline
As the world continues to reach new heights in architectural marvels, there are even more supertall skyscrapers in the pipeline that will reshape skylines across the globe.
From the soaring Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia, poised to surpass the Burj Khalifa as the world’s tallest building, to the remarkable Merdeka 118 in Kuala Lumpur, which is set to claim the title of the world’s second-tallest structure when it opens in June 2023, these projects will captivate city dwellers for years to come.
Even as these new monumental buildings rise, China’s prominence in the world of skyscrapersโwith three cities in the top five globallyโis likely to remain unchallenged.
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