NEW: The 2026 Happy Planet Index is live

Explore the data
China

China

52.2

Happy planet index score.

51st out of 147 countries.
down 13 places from 2021

78.4 years Life expectancy
43rd out of 147 countries.

3.76 gha Ecological footprint
87th out of 147 countries.

6.4/10 Wellbeing
44th out of 147 countries.

China

Steadily increasing life satisfaction and life expectancy have raised China’s score in the latest edition of the Happy Planet Index. It’s large Carbon Footprint, long having past environmental limits, is still less than half that of the United States—the world’s next largest economy

$23,846

GDP per capita ppp (2024)

59th out of 147 countries.

1,416.1m

Population

2nd out of 147 countries.

a note on human rights

Human rights abuses are a problem in most of the world, including in some of the high-ranking countries in the Happy Planet Index results. While the Happy Planet Index may reflect some of the negative impacts of these abuses, it does not seek to directly measure this. For more information about human rights in this country, visit Amnesty International.

How does
China
Compare to...
?

How sustainably happy are you?

We've built a personal Happy Planet Index test to help you reflect on how you can create your own "good life that doesn't cost the earth".

Take the test