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.

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.

In 2023, the ratio of urban to rural population varied greatly in different provinces of China. While Guangdong province had an urban population of around 95.8 million and a rural population of 31.2 million, Tibet had an urban population of only 1.4 million, but a rural population of around 2.2 million.

China: Rural population, percent of total population: The latest value from 2024 is 34.46 percent, a decline from 35.43 percent in 2023. In comparison, the world average is 38.30 percent, based on data from 196 countries. Historically, the average for China from 1960 to 2024 is 66.68 percent. The minimum value, 34.46 percent, was reached in 2024 while the maximum of 83.8 percent was recorded in 1960.

Context

Some friends at kaggle said them would like to see more dataset about China. I'm just uncertain what kind of data do you want. So I simply collect a population dataset as a beginning. I'm very glad that our international friends can know more about the real China, my great motherland from these datasets.

Content

注：1981年及以前人口数据为户籍统计数；1982、1990、2000、2010、2020年数据为当年人口普查数据推算数；其余年份数据为年度人口抽样调查推算数据。总人口和按性别分人口中包括现役军人，按城乡分人口中现役军人计入城镇人口。 数据来源：国家统计局

Note: Population data in 1981 and before are household registration statistics; The data of 1982, 1990, 2000, 2010 and 2020 are calculated from the census data of the same year. Data for the remaining years were derived from annual population sampling surveys. Active servicemen are included in the total population and population by sex, and active servicemen are included in the urban population by urban and rural population. Source: National Bureau of Statistics.

Tips: what you should notice is that all the numbers with the counting unit (10 thousand) or we said in Chinese ‘万’, as a very usual counting unit rather than 'thousand' in English.

Inspiration

By this dataset, you can see the progress of China's urbanization.

The suicide rate among rural residents in China dropped slightly in 2020, approaching **** per 100,000 population. The country had one of the highest suicide rates in the world in the 1990s, especially among the rural female population. After decades of positive development, the rate reduced significantly. Family and economic matters, as well as mental health issues, are among the leading motives for committing suicide.

Actual value and historical data chart for China Rural Population Growth Annual Percent

Historical dataset showing China rural population by year from 1960 to 2023.

People practicing open defecation, rural (% of rural population) in China was reported at 0 % in 2022, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. China - People practicing open defecation, rural (% of rural population) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on November of 2025.

Population: County: Female: Age 40 to 44 data was reported at 12.636 Person th in 2023. This records a decrease from the previous number of 12.935 Person th for 2022. Population: County: Female: Age 40 to 44 data is updated yearly, averaging 26.529 Person th from Dec 1982 (Median) to 2023, with 35 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 30,204.559 Person th in 2010 and a record low of 12.471 Person th in 2019. Population: County: Female: Age 40 to 44 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: Rural.

As of June 2025, the internet users in China's rural area amounted to around *** million, accounting for almost **** percent of the total online population in the country. The internet penetration rate in the rural regions was much lower than the national level.

China Population: Rural Poverty data was reported at 16.600 Person mn in 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 30.460 Person mn for 2017. China Population: Rural Poverty data is updated yearly, averaging 144.025 Person mn from Dec 1978 (Median) to 2018, with 16 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 770.390 Person mn in 1978 and a record low of 16.600 Person mn in 2018. China Population: Rural Poverty 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. The current rural poverty standard is annual income RMB2300 (2010's constant price) per person each year. 现行农村贫困标准为每人每年收入2300元(2010年不变价)。

Actual value and historical data chart for China Rural Population

This statistic illustrates the number of rural residents in China living below the poverty line in selected years from 2000 to 2020. Since 2000, poverty in rural China has been constantly decreasing. In February 2021, the Chinese government announced that - based on the current definition of poverty - all residents in China have been relieved from extreme poverty.

The China County-Level Data on Population (Census) and Agriculture, Keyed To 1:1M GIS Map consists of census, agricultural economic, and boundary data for the administrative regions of China for 1990. The census data includes urban and rural residency, age and sex distribution, educational attainment, illiteracy, marital status, childbirth, mortality, immigration (since 1985), industrial/economic activity, occupation, and ethnicity. The agricultural economic data encompasses rural population, labor force, forestry, livestock and fishery, commodities, equipment, utilities, irrigation, and output value. The boundary data are at a scale of one to one million (1:1M) at the county level. This data set is produced in collaboration with the University of Washington as part of the China in Time and Space (CITAS) project, University of California-Davis China in Time and Space (CITAS) project, and the Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN).

China Population: County: Age 25 to 29 data was reported at 23.814 Person th in 2023. This records a decrease from the previous number of 24.470 Person th for 2022. China Population: County: Age 25 to 29 data is updated yearly, averaging 56.572 Person th from Dec 1982 (Median) to 2023, with 35 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 70,204.621 Person th in 1982 and a record low of 23.814 Person th in 2023. China Population: County: Age 25 to 29 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: Rural.

This line chart displays rural population (people) by date using the aggregation sum in China. The data is about countries per year.

This dataset is about countries per year in China. It has 64 rows. It features 3 columns: country, and rural population.

China Population: County: Age 60 to 64 data was reported at 32.774 Person th in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 28.711 Person th for 2022. China Population: County: Age 60 to 64 data is updated yearly, averaging 29.743 Person th from Dec 1982 (Median) to 2023, with 35 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 32,630.365 Person th in 2010 and a record low of 17.955 Person th in 1994. China Population: County: Age 60 to 64 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: Rural.

People using at least basic drinking water services, rural (% of rural population) in China was reported at 96.4% in 2022, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. China - People using at least basic drinking water services, rural (% of rural population) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on November of 2025.