According to the age distribution of China's population in 2024, approximately 68.6 percent of the population were in their working age between 15 and 64 years of age. Retirees aged 65 years and above made up about 15.6 percent of the total population. Age distribution in China As can be seen from this statistic, the age pyramid in China has been gradually shifting towards older demographics during the past decade. Mainly due to low birth rates in China, the age group of 0 to 14 year-olds has remained at around 16 to 17 percent since 2010, whereas the age groups 65 years and over have seen growth of nearly seven percentage points. Thus, the median age of the Chinese population has been constantly rising since 1970 and is forecast to reach 52 years by 2050. Accompanied by a slightly growing mortality rate of more than 7 per thousand, China is showing strong signs of an aging population. China's aging society The impact of this severe change in demographics is the subject of an ongoing scientific discussion. Rising standards of living in China contain the demand for better health care and pension insurance for retirees, which will be hard to meet with the social insurance system in China still being in its infancy. Per capita expenditure on medical care and services of urban households has grown more than ninefold since 2000 with a clear and distinctive upward trend for the near future. As for social security spending, public pension expenditure is forecast to take up approximately nine percent of China's GDP by 2050.

The total population in China was estimated at 1409.7 million people in 2023, according to the latest census figures and projections from Trading Economics. This dataset provides - China Population - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

China population growth rate for 2023 was -0.10%, a 0.09% decline from 2022.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>China population growth rate for 2022 was <strong>-0.01%</strong>, a <strong>0.1% decline</strong> from 2021.</li>
<li>China population growth rate for 2021 was <strong>0.09%</strong>, a <strong>0.15% decline</strong> from 2020.</li>
<li>China population growth rate for 2020 was <strong>0.24%</strong>, a <strong>0.12% decline</strong> from 2019.</li>
</ul>Annual population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage . Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.

About this dataset

Context

The dataset tabulates the China population by age. The dataset can be utilized to understand the age distribution and demographics of China.

Content

The dataset constitues the following three datasets

• China, TX Age Group Population Dataset: A complete breakdown of China age demographics from 0 to 85 years, distributed across 18 age groups
• China, TX Age Cohorts Dataset: Children, Working Adults, and Seniors in China - Population and Percentage Analysis
• China, TX Population Pyramid Dataset: Age Groups, Male and Female Population, and Total Population for Demographics Analysis

Good to know

Margin of Error

Data in the dataset are based on the estimates and are subject to sampling variability and thus a margin of error. Neilsberg Research recommends using caution when presening these estimates in your research.

Custom data

If you do need custom data for any of your research project, report or presentation, you can contact our research staff at research@neilsberg.com for a feasibility of a custom tabulation on a fee-for-service basis.

Inspiration

Neilsberg Research Team curates, analyze and publishes demographics and economic data from a variety of public and proprietary sources, each of which often includes multiple surveys and programs. The large majority of Neilsberg Research aggregated datasets and insights is made available for free download at https://www.neilsberg.com/research/.

In 2024, there were around 719 million male inhabitants and 689 million female inhabitants living in China, amounting to around 1.41 billion people in total. China's total population decreased for the first time in decades in 2022, and population decline is expected to accelerate in the upcoming years. Birth control in China From the beginning of the 1970s on, having many children was no longer encouraged in mainland China. The one-child policy was then introduced in 1979 to control the total size of the Chinese population. According to the one-child policy, a married couple was only allowed to have one child. With the time, modifications were added to the policy, for example parents living in rural areas were allowed to have a second child if the first was a daughter, and most ethnic minorities were excepted from the policy. Population ageing The birth control led to a decreasing birth rate in China and a more skewed gender ratio of new births due to boy preference. Since the negative economic and social effects of an aging population were more and more felt in China, the one-child policy was considered an obstacle for the country’s further economic development. Since 2014, the one-child policy has been gradually relaxed and fully eliminated at the end of 2015. However, many young Chinese people are not willing to have more children due to high costs of raising a child, especially in urban areas.

China Population: Age 45 to 49 data was reported at 102.401 Person th in 2023. This records a decrease from the previous number of 103.955 Person th for 2022. China Population: Age 45 to 49 data is updated yearly, averaging 96.875 Person th from Dec 1982 (Median) to 2023, with 36 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 114,224.887 Person th in 2020 and a record low of 37.083 Person th in 1994. China Population: Age 45 to 49 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Socio-Demographic – Table CN.GA: Population: Sample Survey: By Age and Sex.

Population, female (% of total population) in China was reported at 49.06 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. China - Population, female (% of total) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Graph and download economic data for Population Ages 15 to 64 for China (SPPOP1564TOZSCHN) from 1960 to 2023 about 15 to 64 years, China, and population.

Population ages 15-64 (% of total population) in China was reported at 69.33 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. China - Population ages 15-64 (% of total) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

China Population: Registered: Total data was reported at 1,404.404 Person mn in 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 1,395.163 Person mn for 2017. China Population: Registered: Total data is updated yearly, averaging 1,224.915 Person mn from Dec 1980 (Median) to 2018, with 39 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1,404.404 Person mn in 2018 and a record low of 982.550 Person mn in 1980. China Population: Registered: Total data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Socio-Demographic – Table CN.GA: Population: Household Registration.

Graph and download economic data for Population ages 65 and above for China (SPPOP65UPTOZSCHN) from 1960 to 2024 about 65-years +, China, and population.

In 2024, around **** million babies were born in China. The number of births has increased slightly from **** million in the previous year, but is much lower than the ***** million births recorded in 2016. Demographic development in China In 2022, the Chinese population decreased for the first time in decades, and population decline is expected to accelerate in the upcoming years. To curb the negative effects of an aging population, the Chinese government decided in 2013 to gradually relax the so called one-child-policy, which had been in effect since 1979. From 2016 onwards, parents in China were allowed to have two children in general. However, as the recent figures of births per year reveal, this policy change had only short-term effects on the general birth rate: the number of births slightly increased from 2014 onwards, but then started to fell again in 2018. In 2024, China was the second most populous country in the world, overtaken by India that year. China’s aging population The Chinese society is aging rapidly and facing a serious demographic shift towards older age groups. The median age of China’s population has increased massively from about ** years in 1970 to **** years in 2020 and is projected to rise continuously until 2080. In 2020, approximately **** percent of the Chinese were 60 years and older, a figure that is forecast to rise as high as ** percent by 2060. This shift in demographic development will increase social and elderly support expenditure of the society as a whole. One measure for this social imbalance is the old-age dependency ratio, measuring the relationship between economic dependent older age groups and the working-age population. The old-age dependency ratio in China is expected to soar to ** percent in 2060, implying that by then three working-age persons will have to support two elderly persons.

Population ages 65 and above (% of total population) in China was reported at 14.67 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. China - Population ages 65 and above (% of total) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

China Population: Age 0 to 14 data was reported at 222.400 Person mn in 2024. This records a decrease from the previous number of 230.630 Person mn for 2023. China Population: Age 0 to 14 data is updated yearly, averaging 259.610 Person mn from Dec 1953 (Median) to 2024, with 39 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 341.456 Person mn in 1982 and a record low of 213.312 Person mn in 1953. China Population: Age 0 to 14 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Socio-Demographic – Table CN.GA: Population.

About this dataset

Context

The dataset tabulates the China town population by year. The dataset can be utilized to understand the population trend of China town.

Content

The dataset constitues the following datasets

• China, Maine Population Dataset: Yearly Figures, Population Change, and Percent Change Analysis

Good to know

Margin of Error

Data in the dataset are based on the estimates and are subject to sampling variability and thus a margin of error. Neilsberg Research recommends using caution when presening these estimates in your research.

Custom data

If you do need custom data for any of your research project, report or presentation, you can contact our research staff at research@neilsberg.com for a feasibility of a custom tabulation on a fee-for-service basis.

Inspiration

Neilsberg Research Team curates, analyze and publishes demographics and economic data from a variety of public and proprietary sources, each of which often includes multiple surveys and programs. The large majority of Neilsberg Research aggregated datasets and insights is made available for free download at https://www.neilsberg.com/research/.

Population ages 30-34, female (% of female population) in China was reported at 7.2045 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. China - Population ages 30-34, female (% of female population) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

UNICEF's country profile for China, including under-five mortality rates, child health, education and sanitation data.

Historical chart and dataset showing China population density by year from 1961 to 2022.

In 2020, about **** percent of the population in China was of working age between 15 and 59 years. The share of the working age Chinese population has been decreasing since the early 2010s and will shrink further in the coming decades.

In 2024, about 943.5 million people lived in urban regions in China and 464.8 million in rural. That year, the country had a total population of approximately 1.41 billion people. As of 2024, China was the second most populous country in the world. Urbanization in China Urbanization refers to the process by which people move from rural to urban areas and how a society adapts to the population shift. It is usually seen as a driving force in economic growth, accompanied by industrialization, modernization and the spread of education. Urbanization levels tend to be higher in industrial countries, whereas the degree of urbanization in developing countries remains relatively low. According to World Bank, a mere 19.4 percent of the Chinese population had been living in urban areas in 1980. Since then, China’s urban population has skyrocketed. By 2024, about 67 percent of the Chinese population lived in urban areas. Regional urbanization rates In the last decades, urbanization has progressed greatly in every region of China. Even in most of the more remote Chinese provinces, the urbanization rate surpassed 50 percent in recent years. However, the most urbanized areas are still to be found in the coastal eastern and southern regions of China. The population of Shanghai, the largest city in China and the world’s seventh largest city ranged at around 24 million people in 2023. China’s urban areas are characterized by a developing middle class. Per capita disposable income of Chinese urban households has more than doubled between 2010 and 2020. The emerging middle class is expected to become a significant driver for the continuing growth of the Chinese economy.