China vs India: Number of airline passengers per year
China
619.22 million
in 2023
India
180.42 million
in 2023
China rank
2nd
India rank
4th
Number of airline passengers per year over time
- China
- India
How they compare
China currently reports 619.22 million against 180.42 million in India, a difference of 438.80 million.
That makes China's figure about 3.4 times India's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 50 shared years of data; in 1974 it was India ahead.
China ranks 2nd and India ranks 4th of 183 countries.
Across the 6 decades both report, China averaged higher in 4 and India in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | India | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.32 million | 4.87 million | 3.55 million | India |
| 1980s | 7.65 million | 10.29 million | 2.64 million | India |
| 1990s | 39.31 million | 12.99 million | 26.32 million | China |
| 2000s | 132.25 million | 31.96 million | 100.29 million | China |
| 2010s | 436.70 million | 105.86 million | 330.84 million | China |
| 2020s | 431.88 million | 118.33 million | 313.55 million | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher number of airline passengers per year, China or India?
- China, at 619.22 million against 180.42 million in India as of 2023.
- What is the difference in number of airline passengers per year between China and India?
- 438.80 million, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and India?
- 50 years are reported by both, from 1974 to 2023.
- How do China and India rank globally for number of airline passengers per year?
- China ranks 2nd and India ranks 4th of 183 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) β processed by Our World in Data, published as Number of airline passengers per year. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
This represents the total rather than unique passenger activity: this means a person who makes multiple trips is counted multiple times.