The map above shows Illinois and China side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Illinois vs China Geography
Land area
- Illinois has a land area of 55,513 square miles (143,778 km²), while China has 3,600,947 square miles (9,326,410 km²).
- China's land area is 64.9 times larger than Illinois'.
Total area
- Illinois: 57,913 square miles (149,995 km²) vs China: 3,705,407 square miles (9,596,960 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- China's total area is 64.0 times larger than Illinois'.
Length
- Illinois is 390 miles (628 km) long from north to south; China is 2,551 miles (4,105 km).
- China's north-south length is 6.5 times (554%) longer than Illinois'.
Width
- Illinois spans 283 miles (456 km) east to west; China spans 3,040 miles (4,892 km).
- China's east-west width is 10.7 times wider than Illinois'.
Highest point
- Illinois's highest point is Charles Mound at 1,232 feet (376 m); China's is Mount Everest at 29,032 feet (8,849 m).
- Mount Everest is 27,800 feet higher than Charles Mound.
Lowest point
- Illinois's lowest point is Mississippi River at 292 feet; China's is Turpan Depression at -505 feet.
- China's lowest point is 797 feet lower.
Illinois vs China Population and History
Population
- Illinois has a population of 12,710,158 (2024), while China has 1,404,890,000 (2025).
- China's population is 110.5 times larger than Illinois'.
Population density
- Illinois: 229.0 people per square mile vs China: 390.1.
- China's population density is 1.7 times (70%) higher than Illinois'.
Biggest city
- Illinois's biggest city is Chicago with 2,721,308 people; China's is Shanghai with 24,870,895.
- Shanghai's population is 9.1 times (814%) larger than Chicago's.
Largest metro area
- Illinois's largest metropolitan area is Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area (9,408,576 people) vs China's Shanghai (29,558,908).
- Shanghai's population is 3.1 times (214%) larger than Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area's.
History
- Illinois: Admitted to the Union on December 3, 1818, as the 21st state.
- China: The People's Republic of China was founded on October 1, 1949.
- In its current form, Illinois is the older of the two by 131 years.
Illinois vs China Economy
GDP
- Illinois's GDP is $1,148.1 billion (2024) vs China's $19,498.0 billion.
- China's economic output is 17.0 times larger than Illinois'.
GDP per capita
- Illinois: $90,330 per person vs China: $13,862.
- Illinois' GDP per capita is 6.5 times (552%) higher than China's.
Average income
- Illinois: $74,522 vs China: $14,230 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Illinois' average income is 5.2 times (424%) higher than China's.
Official Websites
Illinois official website · China official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Illinois size comparisons · All China size comparisons
Area, elevation and boundary figures come from official national statistics and US Census Bureau and Natural Earth boundary data; US state population, economic, county and tax figures come from the US Census Bureau, the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the Tax Foundation. Figures are rounded and for general reference.