China vs United States: Percentage of territory effectively controlled by government
China
97.1%
in 2025
United States
97.5%
in 2025
China rank
71st
United States rank
68th
Percentage of territory effectively controlled by government over time
- China
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 97.5% against 97.1% in China, a difference of 0.4%.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 237 shared years of data; in 1789 it was China ahead.
China ranks 71st and United States ranks 68th of 174 countries.
Across the 25 decades both report, China averaged higher in 11 and United States in 14.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1780s | 97.5% | 95.0% | 2.5% | China |
| 1790s | 97.5% | 95.0% | 2.5% | China |
| 1800s | 97.5% | 63.5% | 34.0% | China |
| 1810s | 97.5% | 60.5% | 37.0% | China |
| 1820s | 97.5% | 71.0% | 26.5% | China |
| 1830s | 97.5% | 77.5% | 20.0% | China |
| 1840s | 97.0% | 78.0% | 19.0% | China |
| 1850s | 91.2% | 80.0% | 11.2% | China |
| 1860s | 94.9% | 84.0% | 10.9% | China |
| 1870s | 96.0% | 90.0% | 6.0% | China |
| 1880s | 96.0% | 90.0% | 6.0% | China |
| 1890s | 93.6% | 95.0% | 1.4% | United States |
| 1900s | 75.9% | 98.5% | 22.6% | United States |
| 1910s | 60.0% | 98.5% | 38.6% | United States |
| 1920s | 50.3% | 98.5% | 48.3% | United States |
| 1930s | 65.2% | 98.5% | 33.3% | United States |
| 1940s | 57.4% | 98.5% | 41.2% | United States |
| 1950s | 97.7% | 98.5% | 0.9% | United States |
| 1960s | 97.8% | 98.5% | 0.7% | United States |
| 1970s | 97.8% | 98.5% | 0.7% | United States |
| 1980s | 97.8% | 98.5% | 0.7% | United States |
| 1990s | 97.8% | 98.5% | 0.7% | United States |
| 2000s | 97.5% | 98.5% | 1.0% | United States |
| 2010s | 97.0% | 98.2% | 1.2% | United States |
| 2020s | 97.1% | 97.5% | 0.3% | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher percentage of territory effectively controlled by government, China or United States?
- United States, at 97.5% against 97.1% in China as of 2025.
- What is the difference in percentage of territory effectively controlled by government between China and United States?
- 0.4%, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and United States?
- 237 years are reported by both, from 1789 to 2025.
- How do China and United States rank globally for percentage of territory effectively controlled by government?
- China ranks 71st and United States ranks 68th of 174 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Percentage of territory effectively controlled by government. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Central estimate of the percentage of territory controlled by the government.