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 18 percent of the overall global population in 2022. 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.

Population: Chongqing: Kai data was reported at 1,199.500 Person th in 2022. This records a decrease from the previous number of 1,677.500 Person th for 2020. Population: Chongqing: Kai data is updated yearly, averaging 1,651.500 Person th from Dec 2004 (Median) to 2022, with 18 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1,691.200 Person th in 2016 and a record low of 1,199.500 Person th in 2022. Population: Chongqing: Kai 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.GJ: Population: County Level Region.

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.

Population: Household Registration: Rural: Chongqing data was reported at 17,030.900 Person th in 2022. This records a decrease from the previous number of 17,220.431 Person th for 2021. Population: Household Registration: Rural: Chongqing data is updated yearly, averaging 20,521.700 Person th from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2022, with 23 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 24,301.987 Person th in 2000 and a record low of 17,030.900 Person th in 2022. Population: Household Registration: Rural: Chongqing data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Chongqing Municipal Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Socio-Demographic – Table CN.GE: Population: Prefecture Level City: Household Registration: By Residence. The agriculture and non-agriculture population of household registration from 2016 adopted the classification of urban and rural population.

Population: Chongqing: Liangping data was reported at 643.000 Person th in 2022. This records a decrease from the previous number of 922.400 Person th for 2020. Population: Chongqing: Liangping data is updated yearly, averaging 921.850 Person th from Dec 2004 (Median) to 2022, with 18 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 930.100 Person th in 2016 and a record low of 643.000 Person th in 2022. Population: Chongqing: Liangping 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.GJ: Population: County Level Region.

Population: Chongqing: Rongchang data was reported at 668.000 Person th in 2022. This records a decrease from the previous number of 847.100 Person th for 2020. Population: Chongqing: Rongchang data is updated yearly, averaging 836.750 Person th from Dec 2004 (Median) to 2022, with 18 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 850.600 Person th in 2016 and a record low of 668.000 Person th in 2022. Population: Chongqing: Rongchang 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.GJ: Population: County Level Region.

In 2024, the average number of children born per 1,000 people in China ranged at 6.77. The birth rate has dropped considerably since 2016, and the number of births fell below the number of deaths in 2022 for the first time in decades, leading to a negative population growth rate. Recent development of the birth rate Similar to most East-Asian countries and territories, demographics in China today are characterized by a very low fertility rate. As low fertility in the long-term limits economic growth and leads to heavy strains on the pension and health systems, the Chinese government decided to support childbirth by gradually relaxing strict birth control measures, that had been in place for three decades. However, the effect of this policy change was considerably smaller than expected. The birth rate increased from 11.9 births per 1,000 inhabitants in 2010 to 14.57 births in 2012 and remained on a higher level for a couple of years, but then dropped again to a new low in 2018. This illustrates that other factors constrain the number of births today. These factors are most probably similar to those experienced in other developed countries as well: women preferring career opportunities over maternity, high costs for bringing up children, and changed social norms, to name only the most important ones. Future demographic prospects Between 2020 and 2023, the birth rate in China dropped to formerly unknown lows, most probably influenced by the coronavirus pandemic. As all COVID-19 restrictions were lifted by the end of 2022, births figures showed a catch-up effect in 2024. However, the scope of the rebound might be limited. A population breakdown by five-year age groups indicates that the drop in the number of births is also related to a shrinking number of people with child-bearing age. The age groups between 15 and 29 years today are considerably smaller than those between 30 and 44, leaving less space for the birth rate to increase. This effect is exacerbated by a considerable gender gap within younger age groups in China, with the number of females being much lower than that of males.

Population: Household Registration: Urban: Chongqing data was reported at 17,107.100 Person th in 2022. This records an increase from the previous number of 16,926.200 Person th for 2021. Population: Household Registration: Urban: Chongqing data is updated yearly, averaging 12,776.400 Person th from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2022, with 23 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 17,107.100 Person th in 2022 and a record low of 6,608.913 Person th in 2000. Population: Household Registration: Urban: Chongqing data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Chongqing Municipal Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Socio-Demographic – Table CN.GE: Population: Prefecture Level City: Household Registration: By Residence. The agriculture and non-agriculture population of household registration from 2016 adopted the classification of urban and rural population.