India and China are the two most populous countries in the world, but they differ significantly in terms of population density. Population refers to the total number of people living in a country, while population density measures how crowded a place is by calculating the number of people per square kilometer of land. As of 2024, India’s population is estimated to be around 1.44 billion, surpassing China, which has around 1.41 billion people. Despite having similar total populations, their land areas are vastly different, which greatly affects their density and distribution.
India has a land area of 3.28 million km², making its population density approximately 464 people per km², one of the highest in the world for a large country. In contrast, China’s land area is much larger at 9.6 million km², resulting in a much lower population density of about 147 people per km². The reason for this stark difference lies in the geographical and environmental characteristics of the two nations. While most of India’s land is habitable and fertile, much of China’s land, particularly the western region, consists of deserts like the Gobi Desert and mountainous areas like the Tibetan Plateau, which are unsuitable for human settlement. As a result, a significant portion of China’s population is concentrated in the eastern and southern regions, while India’s population is more evenly spread across the country.