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.

Total current population for China in 2025 is 1,424,381,924, a 0.06% decline from 2024.

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

<li>Total population for China in 2024 was <strong>1,425,178,782</strong>, a <strong>1.03% increase</strong> from 2023.</li>
<li>Total population for China in 2023 was <strong>1,410,710,000</strong>, a <strong>0.1% decline</strong> from 2022.</li>
<li>Total population for China in 2022 was <strong>1,412,175,000</strong>, a <strong>0.01% decline</strong> from 2021.</li>
</ul>Total population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship. The values shown are midyear estimates.

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.

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.

Population growth (annual %) in China was reported at --0.10379 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. China - Population growth (annual %) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

Throughout the Common Era, until the 18th century, Japan's average population growth rate was significantly higher that those of Europe or China. Japan's relative isolation meant that it was not subjected to the same devastating pandemics during this period (especially plague), which caused regular spikes in mortality across Eurasia. During the period between 1700 and 1850, China and Western Europe's growth rates rose significantly due to improvements in food supply, water treatment, and more infrequent pandemics; as well as the spread of vaccination in Europe. In the late-19th and 20th centuries, population growth was high in all three regions, due to the onset of the demographic transition.

Key information about China population

• The China population reached 1,408.3 million people in Dec 2024, compared with the previously reported figure of 1,409.7 million people in Dec 2023
• The data reached an all-time high of 1,412.6 million people in Dec 2021 and a record low of 541.7 million people in Dec 1949

• In the latest reports, China Unemployment Rate increased to 5.1 % in Sep 2024
• Monthly earnings of the China population was 1,392.5 USD in Dec 2023
• China Labour Force Participation Rate dropped to 66.4 % in Dec 2023

Population, total in China was reported at 1408975000 in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. China - Population, total - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

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

Graph and download economic data for Population, Total for China (POPTOTCNA647NWDB) from 1960 to 2024 about China and population.

Since 1970, the median age of China’s population has continued to increase from around ** years to around **** years in 2020. According to estimates from the United Nations, the increasing trend will slow down when the median age will reach ** years in the middle of the 21st century and will remain at around ** years up to 2100. China’s aging population Although the median age of China’s population is still lower than in many developed countries, for example in Japan, the consequences of a rapidly aging population have already become a concern for the country’s future. As the most populated country in the world, the large labor force in China contributed to the country’s astonishing economic growth in the last decades. Nowadays however, the aging population is going to become a burden for China’s social welfare system and could change China’s economic situation. Reasons for the aging population Like in many other countries, increasing life expectancy is regarded as the main reason for the aging of the population. As healthcare and living standards have improved, life expectancy in China has also increased. In addition, the one-child policy led to a decreasing fertility rate in China, which further increased the share of older people in the society. Even though the one-child policy has been abolished in 2016, many young people are refraining from having children, largely due to the high costs of raising a child, career pressure and the pursuit of freedom.

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.

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.

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.

China Population: Age 0 to 4 data was reported at 57.537 Person th in 2023. This records a decrease from the previous number of 62.248 Person th for 2022. China Population: Age 0 to 4 data is updated yearly, averaging 68.380 Person th from Dec 1982 (Median) to 2023, with 36 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 116,438.419 Person th in 1990 and a record low of 57.537 Person th in 2023. China Population: Age 0 to 4 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.

China Population: Age 85 to 89 data was reported at 13.443 Person th in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 12.542 Person th for 2022. China Population: Age 85 to 89 data is updated yearly, averaging 4.792 Person th from Dec 1982 (Median) to 2023, with 36 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 10,826.530 Person th in 2020 and a record low of 1.453 Person th in 1994. China Population: Age 85 to 89 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.

China urban population for 2023 was 910,895,447, a 1.48% increase from 2022.

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

<li>China urban population for 2022 was <strong>897,578,430</strong>, a <strong>1.66% increase</strong> from 2021.</li>
<li>China urban population for 2021 was <strong>882,894,483</strong>, a <strong>1.86% increase</strong> from 2020.</li>
<li>China urban population for 2020 was <strong>866,810,508</strong>, a <strong>2.1% increase</strong> from 2019.</li>
</ul>Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.

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.

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.

Population: Beijing data was reported at 23.018 Person th in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 22.372 Person th for 2022. Population: Beijing data is updated yearly, averaging 17.454 Person th from Dec 1982 (Median) to 2023, with 29 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 21,893.095 Person th in 2020 and a record low of 12.245 Person th in 1999. Population: Beijing 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 Region.