The region of present-day China has historically been the most populous region in the world; however, its population development has fluctuated throughout history. In 2022, China was overtaken as the most populous country in the world, and current projections suggest its population is heading for a rapid decline in the coming decades. Transitions of power lead to mortality The source suggests that conflict, and the diseases brought with it, were the major obstacles to population growth throughout most of the Common Era, particularly during transitions of power between various dynasties and rulers. It estimates that the total population fell by approximately 30 million people during the 14th century due to the impact of Mongol invasions, which inflicted heavy losses on the northern population through conflict, enslavement, food instability, and the introduction of bubonic plague. Between 1850 and 1870, the total population fell once more, by more than 50 million people, through further conflict, famine and disease; the most notable of these was the Taiping Rebellion, although the Miao an Panthay Rebellions, and the Dungan Revolt, also had large death tolls. The third plague pandemic also originated in Yunnan in 1855, which killed approximately two million people in China. 20th and 21st centuries There were additional conflicts at the turn of the 20th century, which had significant geopolitical consequences for China, but did not result in the same high levels of mortality seen previously. It was not until the overlapping Chinese Civil War (1927-1949) and Second World War (1937-1945) where the death tolls reached approximately 10 and 20 million respectively. Additionally, as China attempted to industrialize during the Great Leap Forward (1958-1962), economic and agricultural mismanagement resulted in the deaths of tens of millions (possibly as many as 55 million) in less than four years, during the Great Chinese Famine. This mortality is not observable on the given dataset, due to the rapidity of China's demographic transition over the entire period; this saw improvements in healthcare, sanitation, and infrastructure result in sweeping changes across the population. The early 2020s marked some significant milestones in China's demographics, where it was overtaken by India as the world's most populous country, and its population also went into decline. Current projections suggest that China is heading for a "demographic disaster", as its rapidly aging population is placing significant burdens on China's economy, government, and society. In stark contrast to the restrictive "one-child policy" of the past, the government has introduced a series of pro-fertility incentives for couples to have larger families, although the impact of these policies are yet to materialize. If these current projections come true, then China's population may be around half its current size by the end of the century.

According to latest figures, the Chinese population decreased by 1.39 million to around 1.408 billion people in 2024. After decades of rapid growth, China arrived at the turning point of its demographic development in 2022, which was earlier than expected. The annual population decrease is estimated to remain at moderate levels until around 2030 but to accelerate thereafter. Population development in China China had for a long time been the country with the largest population worldwide, but according to UN estimates, it has been overtaken by India in 2023. As the population in India is still growing, the country is very likely to remain being home of the largest population on earth in the near future. Due to several mechanisms put into place by the Chinese government as well as changing circumstances in the working and social environment of the Chinese people, population growth has subsided over the past decades, displaying an annual population growth rate of -0.1 percent in 2024. Nevertheless, compared to the world population in total, China held a share of about 17 percent of the overall global population in 2024. China's aging population In terms of demographic developments, the birth control efforts of the Chinese government had considerable effects on the demographic pyramid in China. Upon closer examination of the age distribution, a clear trend of an aging population becomes visible. In order to curb the negative effects of an aging population, the Chinese government abolished the one-child policy in 2015, which had been in effect since 1979, and introduced a three-child policy in May 2021. However, many Chinese parents nowadays are reluctant to have a second or third child, as is the case in most of the developed countries in the world. The number of births in China varied in the years following the abolishment of the one-child policy, but did not increase considerably. Among the reasons most prominent for parents not having more children are the rising living costs and costs for child care, growing work pressure, a growing trend towards self-realization and individualism, and changing social behaviors.

Content

The current population of China is 1,448,978,293 as of Wednesday, March 30, 2022, based on Worldometer elaboration of the latest United Nations data. This three datasets contain population data of China (2020 and historical), population forecast and population in major cities.

Attribute Information

• Year - Years from 2020-1955
• Population - Population in the respective year
• Yearly % Change - Percentage Yearly Change in Population
• Yearly Change - Yearly Change in Population
• Migrants (net) - Total number of migrants
• Median Age - Median age of the population
• Fertility Rate - Fertility rate
• Density (P/Km²)- Population density (population per square km)
• Urban Pop %- Percentage of urban population
• Urban Population- Urban population
• Country's Share of World Pop - Population share
• World Population - World Population in the respective year
• China Global Rank - Global Rank in Population

Source

Link : https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/china-population/

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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.

Historical dataset showing total population for China by year from 1950 to 2025.

Historical dataset showing China population growth rate by year from 1961 to 2023.

Yearly (annual) dataset of the China Population, including historical data, latest releases, and long-term trends from 1960-12-31 to 2024-12-31. Available for free download in CSV format.

China Population: Natural Growth Rate data was reported at -0.060 % in 2022. This records a decrease from the previous number of 0.034 % for 2021. China Population: Natural Growth Rate data is updated yearly, averaging 1.203 % from Dec 1949 (Median) to 2022, with 74 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 3.333 % in 1963 and a record low of -0.457 % in 1960. China Population: Natural Growth Rate 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: Natural Growth Rate: By Region.

Rural population (% of total population) in China was reported at 34.46 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. China - Rural population - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on November of 2025.

China Population: Age 20 to 24 data was reported at 73.696 Person th in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 73.629 Person th for 2022. China Population: Age 20 to 24 data is updated yearly, averaging 90.654 Person th from Dec 1982 (Median) to 2023, with 36 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 127,412.518 Person th in 2010 and a record low of 61.519 Person th in 2019. China Population: Age 20 to 24 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.

Monthly and long-term China Population data: historical series and analyst forecasts curated by FocusEconomics.

View yearly updates and historical trends for China Population. Source: World Bank. Track economic data with YCharts analytics.

Actual value and historical data chart for China Population Total

Time series data for the statistic Population, ages 7-10, male and country Macao SAR, China.

Time series data for the statistic Population ages 55-59, male and country Macao SAR, China. Indicator Definition:Male population between the ages 55 to 59.The indicator "Population ages 55-59, male" stands at 17.21 Thousand as of 12/31/2024, the lowest value since 12/31/2011. Regarding the One-Year-Change of the series, the current value constitutes a decrease of -4.07 percent compared to the value the year prior.The 1 year change in percent is -4.07.The 3 year change in percent is -17.59.The 5 year change in percent is -23.76.The 10 year change in percent is -27.18.The Serie's long term average value is 9.04 Thousand. It's latest available value, on 12/31/2024, is 90.40 percent higher, compared to it's long term average value.The Serie's change in percent from it's minimum value, on 12/31/1975, to it's latest available value, on 12/31/2024, is +539.65%.The Serie's change in percent from it's maximum value, on 12/31/2015, to it's latest available value, on 12/31/2024, is -28.48%.

China Population: Age 65 and Above data was reported at 220.230 Person mn in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 216.760 Person mn for 2023. China Population: Age 65 and Above data is updated yearly, averaging 100.550 Person mn from Dec 1953 (Median) to 2024, with 39 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 220.230 Person mn in 2024 and a record low of 25.098 Person mn in 1964. China Population: Age 65 and Above 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.

Time series data for the statistic Population ages 0-14, female and country Macao SAR, China. Indicator Definition:Female population between the ages 0 to 14. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.The indicator "Population ages 0-14, female" stands at 46.51 Thousand as of 12/31/2024, the lowest value since 12/31/2020. Regarding the One-Year-Change of the series, the current value constitutes a decrease of -0.3749 percent compared to the value the year prior.The 1 year change in percent is -0.3749.The 3 year change in percent is -3.34.The 5 year change in percent is 0.5231.The 10 year change in percent is 18.23.The Serie's long term average value is 43.22 Thousand. It's latest available value, on 12/31/2024, is 7.60 percent higher, compared to it's long term average value.The Serie's change in percent from it's minimum value, on 12/31/1981, to it's latest available value, on 12/31/2024, is +62.02%.The Serie's change in percent from it's maximum value, on 12/31/1965, to it's latest available value, on 12/31/2024, is -32.86%.

Southern China is the birthplace of rice-cultivating agriculture and different language families and has also witnessed various human migrations that facilitated cultural diffusions. The fine-scale demographic history in situ that forms present-day local populations, however, remains unclear. To comprehensively cover the genetic diversity in East and Southeast Asia, we generated genome-wide SNP data from 211 present-day Southern Chinese and co-analyzed them with ∼1,200 ancient and modern genomes. In Southern China, language classification is significantly associated with genetic variation but with a different extent of predictability, and there is strong evidence for recent shared genetic history particularly in Hmong–Mien and Austronesian speakers. A geography-related genetic sub-structure that represents the major genetic variation in Southern East Asians is established pre-Holocene and its extremes are represented by Neolithic Fujianese and First Farmers in Mainland Southeast Asia. This sub-structure is largely reduced by admixture in ancient Southern Chinese since > ∼2,000 BP, which forms a “Southern Chinese Cluster” with a high level of genetic homogeneity. Further admixture characterizes the demographic history of the majority of Hmong–Mien speakers and some Kra-Dai speakers in Southwest China happened ∼1,500–1,000 BP, coeval to the reigns of local chiefdoms. In Yellow River Basin, we identify a connection of local populations to genetic sub-structure in Southern China with geographical correspondence appearing > ∼9,000 BP, while the gene flow likely closely related to “Southern Chinese Cluster” since the Longshan period (∼5,000–4,000 BP) forms ancestry profile of Han Chinese Cline.

Time series data for the statistic Population, ages 10-17, total and country Macao SAR, China. Indicator Definition:Population, ages 10-17, total is the total population age 10-17.The indicator "Population, ages 10-17, total" stands at 31.93 Thousand as of 12/31/2015, the lowest value at least since 12/31/1991, the period currently displayed. Regarding the One-Year-Change of the series, the current value constitutes a decrease of -5.20 percent compared to the value the year prior.The 1 year change in percent is -5.20.The 3 year change in percent is -17.02.The 5 year change in percent is -28.22.The 10 year change in percent is -46.76.The Serie's long term average value is 49.68 Thousand. It's latest available value, on 12/31/2015, is 35.73 percent lower, compared to it's long term average value.The Serie's change in percent from it's minimum value, on 12/31/2015, to it's latest available value, on 12/31/2015, is +0.0%.The Serie's change in percent from it's maximum value, on 12/31/2002, to it's latest available value, on 12/31/2015, is -50.17%.

Population ages 0-14, total in China was reported at 225546074 Persons in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. China - Population, ages 0-14, total - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on November of 2025.