Wages in China increased to 120698 CNY/Year in 2023 from 114029 CNY/Year in 2022. This dataset provides - China Average Yearly Wages - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

In 2023, an employee working for a not privately held company or organization in urban areas of China earned around 120,698 yuan annually on average. That year, the year-on-year growth rate of the average salary ranged at 5.8 percent nominally and 5.5 percent real.

Regional differences in salary levels

Salary levels in urban China have seen a significant rise between 2013 and 2023. During that period, average annual salaries of employees in non-private urban units have grown from around 51,500 to 120,700 yuan per year. Yet as of 2022, large income disparities still existed between different regions in China. While employees in Shanghai enjoyed the highest annual salaries on average, Henan province and Jilin province in central and northeastern China displayed the lowest average annual salaries. Regions with lower income levels are mainly located in central China or in the former centers of steel and heavy industry in Northeast China, whereas the coastal regions and municipalities in general still provide comparatively higher salaries.

Occupational salary differences

Moreover, a considerable salary discrepancy exists between different occupational groups in China. As of 2023, people working in IT services were atop the list earning about 231,800 yuan per year on average, whereas people in the financial service sector reached approximately 197,700 yuan. The hotels and catering sector ranked at the lower end with an average annual salary of around 58,100 yuan.

Wages in Manufacturing in China increased to 103932 CNY/Year in 2023 from 97528 CNY/Year in 2022. This dataset provides - China Average Yearly Wages in Manufacturing - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

This statistic shows the average annual salary of employees in non-private enterprises and organizations in urban China in 2023, by region. In 2023, an employee in the urban regions of the Chinese Jiangsu province earned around 125,100 yuan per annum on average. The national average reached about 120,700 yuan that year. Aside from regional discrepancies, the respective industry had a large influence on the average annual salary of employees in urban China. Employees in the IT sector of China earned about 231,800 yuan on average, whereas people employed in the hotel and catering sector had an average annual salary of about 58,100 yuan in 2023.

China is the largest labor force market in the world. China’s economic prosperity wouldn’t exist without the large number of people working in this country. With increasing living standards and growing inflation, the wages of employees in China are increasing as well. As of 2022, average wages in China increased to114,029 yuan from 47,593 yuan in 2012.

Wage gap between regions

The wages vary in China depending on sector, position, gender and region like in any other country. Since China’s different regions have developed unequally, the wage gaps between people working in different regions can also be very large. This is a reason for no single minimum wage being set for the entire nation. The local governments set minimum wages based on local living standards. Considering the city tier, the wage standards are higher in cities with higher rankings. Shanghai and Beijing have the highest minimum wage standards in China. Although the minimum wages in China have been increasing, the standards are still lower than in developed countries.

Challenges of increasing labor costs

Increasing wages also make the labor force market less attractive. Affected by increasing labor costs and the China-United States trade war, many companies are transferring their investment destinations, especially in the manufacturing sector. Local governments are also taking measures to ensure the living costs remain at a reasonable level to retain companies and employees. These measures include regulating the residential housing market more strictly.

Average Wage Index: Urban Non-private: Shandong data was reported at 104.777 Prev Year=100 in 2023. This records a decrease from the previous number of 107.892 Prev Year=100 for 2022. Average Wage Index: Urban Non-private: Shandong data is updated yearly, averaging 112.100 Prev Year=100 from Dec 1993 (Median) to 2023, with 31 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 137.800 Prev Year=100 in 1994 and a record low of 104.400 Prev Year=100 in 1998. Average Wage Index: Urban Non-private: Shandong data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Labour Market – Table CN.GC: Average Wage Index.

Average Wage Index: Urban Non-private: Hubei data was reported at 107.732 Prev Year=100 in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 104.530 Prev Year=100 for 2022. Average Wage Index: Urban Non-private: Hubei data is updated yearly, averaging 111.298 Prev Year=100 from Dec 1993 (Median) to 2023, with 31 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 138.100 Prev Year=100 in 1994 and a record low of 104.530 Prev Year=100 in 2022. Average Wage Index: Urban Non-private: Hubei data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Labour Market – Table CN.GC: Average Wage Index.

This statistic shows the average annual salary of employees in not privately held companies and organizations in urban China in 2023, by sector. In 2023, the average annual wage of a construction worker in urban China was around 85,800 yuan, compared to 78,300 in the previous year. IT, research, and financial services are sectors where the average income is the highest.

This statistic shows the provincial capitals and cities in China with the highest average wage in 2022. At this time, the average wage in non-private companies in Beijing was around 215,100 yuan per annum.

This statistic shows the average yearly wage growth in China from 2010 to 2021. As of 2021, the average wages in China increased by 9.7 percent compared to the previous year.

Minimum Wages in China increased to 2690 CNY/Month in 2025 from 2590 CNY/Month in 2024. This dataset provides - China Minimum Wages- actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Average Wage Index: Urban Non-private: Anhui data was reported at 105.108 Prev Year=100 in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 105.101 Prev Year=100 for 2022. Average Wage Index: Urban Non-private: Anhui data is updated yearly, averaging 112.300 Prev Year=100 from Dec 1993 (Median) to 2023, with 31 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 136.900 Prev Year=100 in 1994 and a record low of 103.000 Prev Year=100 in 1998. Average Wage Index: Urban Non-private: Anhui data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Labour Market – Table CN.GC: Average Wage Index.

This statistic shows the average yearly wages in the manufacturing sector in China from 2012 to 2022. In 2022, the average wages in manufacturing in China increased to approximately 97,500 yuan from 92,500 yuan in the previous year.

Key information about China Monthly Earnings

• China Monthly Earnings stood at 1,392 USD in Dec 2023, compared with the previous figure of 1,336 USD in Dec 2022
• China Monthly Earnings data is updated quarterly, available from Mar 2000 to Dec 2023, with an average number of 349 USD
• The data reached the an all-time high of 1,393 USD in Dec 2021 and a record low of 83 USD in Jun 2000

CEIC calculates Monthly Earnings from quarterly Earnings divided by 3 and converts it into USD. The National Bureau of Statistics provides year-to-date Average Wage in local currency. Federal Reserve Board average market exchange rate is used for currency conversions. Monthly Earnings cover urban population only.


Further information about China Monthly Earnings

• In the latest reports, China Population reached 1,410 million people in Dec 2023
• Unemployment Rate of China dropped to 5 % in Jun 2024
• The country's Labour Force Participation Rate dropped to 66 % in Dec 2023

In 2025, the minimum hourly wage in Beijing was the highest in China at 26.4 yuan per hour. In the past decade, China has been shifting from a cheap labor driven economy to more matured, service-oriented markets and industries. While the economy continues to grow, prices and wages keep on increasing as well. How do wages differ across the country? China’s provinces and municipalities are divided into districts of different levels. Most provinces set different minimum wages for different districts depending on the cost of living and level of development. Usually, provincial capitals and major cities enjoy higher hourly wages than smaller towns and rural areas of the same province. In 2025, the highest minimum hourly wages in China were to be found in Beijing and Tianjin municipalities with 26.4 and 24.4 yuan respectively, whereas employees in Hainan province who received a minimum wage were paid the least – between 16.3 and 17.9 yuan per hour. Minimum monthly wages that year were the highest in Shanghai and the lowest in Qinghai province. The average annual salary in urban China was around 120,700 yuan in 2023. What are the prospects? Regional governments in China are required to update their minimum wages at least every few years. Hebei, Fujian, and Guangdong – provinces that have not adjusted minimum wages in the past two years – are likely to do so in 2025. Along with economic development, increasing living standards, increasing prices and a shrinking labor force, overall minimum wages will likely continue growing in China.

In 2023, the average annual wage of employees in Beijing municipality in China amounted to approximately 188.4 thousand yuan. The average nominal wage more than doubled over the last decade.

In 2024, the average annual per capita disposable income of households in China amounted to approximately 41,300 yuan. Annual per capita income in Chinese saw a significant rise over the last decades and is still rising at a high pace. During the last ten years, per capita disposable income roughly doubled in China. Income distribution in China As an emerging economy, China faces a large number of development challenges, one of the most pressing issues being income inequality. The income gap between rural and urban areas has been stirring social unrest in China and poses a serious threat to the dogma of a “harmonious society” proclaimed by the communist party. In contrast to the disposable income of urban households, which reached around 54,200 yuan in 2024, that of rural households only amounted to around 23,100 yuan. Coinciding with the urban-rural income gap, income disparities between coastal and western regions in China have become apparent. As of 2023, households in Shanghai and Beijing displayed the highest average annual income of around 84,800 and 81,900 yuan respectively, followed by Zhejiang province with 63,800 yuan. Gansu, a province located in the West of China, had the lowest average annual per capita household income in China with merely 25,000 yuan. Income inequality in China The Gini coefficient is the most commonly used measure of income inequality. For China, the official Gini coefficient also indicates the astonishing inequality of income distribution in the country. Although the Gini coefficient has dropped from its high in 2008 at 49.1 points, it still ranged at a score of 46.5 points in 2023. The United Nations have set an index value of 40 as a warning level for serious inequality in a society.

Average Wage: Urban Non-private: ytd: International Organization data was reported at 0.000 RMB in Mar 2008. Average Wage: Urban Non-private: ytd: International Organization data is updated quarterly, averaging 0.000 RMB from Mar 2008 (Median) to Mar 2008, with 1 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.000 RMB in Mar 2008 and a record low of 0.000 RMB in Mar 2008. Average Wage: Urban Non-private: ytd: International Organization data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Labour Market – Table CN.GC: Average Wage: by Industry: Urban Non-private.

Average Wage: Urban Non-private: ytd: Health Care and Social Work data was reported at 143,818.000 RMB in Dec 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 135,222.000 RMB for Dec 2022. Average Wage: Urban Non-private: ytd: Health Care and Social Work data is updated quarterly, averaging 67,445.500 RMB from Mar 2012 (Median) to Dec 2023, with 18 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 143,818.000 RMB in Dec 2023 and a record low of 11,997.000 RMB in Mar 2012. Average Wage: Urban Non-private: ytd: Health Care and Social Work data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Labour Market – Table CN.GC: Average Wage: by Industry: Urban Non-private.

According to an annual survey about Chinese women's workplace, the average monthly income of the female respondents in 2025 amounted to 8,978 yuan, about 15 percent lower than the monthly salary of the male respondents. In the previous year, the average monthly income of female respondents was 8,958 yuan.