In 2024, the mortality rate in China ranged at approximately 7.76 deaths per 1,000 inhabitants. The mortality rate in China displayed an uneven development over the last two decades. This is mainly related to the very uneven sizes of Chinese age groups, improvements in health care, and the occurrence of epidemics. However, an overall growing trend is undisputable and related to China's aging population. As the share of the population aged 60 and above will be growing significantly over the upcoming two decades, the mortality rate will further increase in the years ahead. Population in China China was the second most populous country in the world in 2024. However, 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 and finally turned negative in 2022. The major factor for this development was a set of policies introduced by the Chinese government in 1979, including the so-called one-child policy, which was intended to improve people’s living standards by limiting the population growth. However, with the decreasing birth rate and slower population growth, China nowadays is facing the problems of a rapidly aging population. Birth control in China According to the one-child policy, a married couple was only allowed to have one child. Only under certain circumstances were parents allowed to have a second child. As the performance of family control had long been related to the assessment of local government’s achievements, violations of the rule were severely punished. The birth control in China led to a decreasing birth rate and a more skewed gender ratio of new births due to a widely preference for male children in the Chinese society. Nowadays, since China’s population is aging rapidly, the one-child policy has been re-considered as 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. In May 2021, a new three-child policy has been introduced. However, many young Chinese people today are not willing to have more children due to high costs of raising a child, especially in urban areas.

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

In 2023, the mortality rate in different regions in China varied from around 9.8 deaths per 1,000 people (per mille) in Heilongjiang province to 5.4 deaths per 1,000 in Guangdong. The average national mortality rate ranged at around 7.9 per mille that year.

Death rate, crude (per 1,000 people) in China was reported at 7.87 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. China - Death rate, crude - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on August of 2025.

The death rate in China increased by *** deaths per 1,000 inhabitants (+**** percent) compared to the previous year. Therefore, the death rate in China reached a peak in 2023 with **** deaths per 1,000 inhabitants. The crude death rate is the annual number of deaths divided by the total population, expressed per 1,000 people.Find more statistics on other topics about China with key insights such as total fertility rate, crude birth rate, and number of tuberculosis infections .

China: Deaths of children five to fourteen years of age per 1000 live births: The latest value from 2022 is 1 deaths per 1000 births, unchanged from 1 deaths per 1000 births in 2021. In comparison, the world average is 3 deaths per 1000 births, based on data from 187 countries. Historically, the average for China from 1990 to 2022 is 2 deaths per 1000 births. The minimum value, 1 deaths per 1000 births, was reached in 2009 while the maximum of 4 deaths per 1000 births was recorded in 1990.

Forecast: Under 5 Mortality Rate in China 2022 - 2026 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

Graph and download economic data for Infant Mortality Rate for China (SPDYNIMRTINCHN) from 1969 to 2023 about mortality, infant, China, and rate.

Forecast: Infant Mortality Rate in China 2022 - 2026 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

CN: Population: Death Rate: Shaanxi data was reported at 0.764 % in 2022. This records an increase from the previous number of 0.738 % for 2021. CN: Population: Death Rate: Shaanxi data is updated yearly, averaging 0.631 % from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2022, with 32 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.764 % in 2022 and a record low of 0.601 % in 2010. CN: Population: Death Rate: Shaanxi 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: Death Rate: By Region.

Forecast: Maternal Mortality Rate in China 2022 - 2026 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

CN: Population: Death Rate: Jiangxi data was reported at 0.723 % in 2024. This records a decrease from the previous number of 0.736 % for 2023. CN: Population: Death Rate: Jiangxi data is updated yearly, averaging 0.624 % from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2024, with 35 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.754 % in 1990 and a record low of 0.596 % in 2005. CN: Population: Death Rate: Jiangxi 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: Death Rate: By Region.

In 2023, the infant mortality rate in deaths per 1,000 live births in China was 4.5. Between 1969 and 2023, the figure dropped by 84, though the decline followed an uneven course rather than a steady trajectory.

Forecast: Child Mortality Rate in China 2024 - 2028 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

Forecast: Male Infant Mortality Rate in China 2022 - 2026 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

CN: Population: Death Rate: Guangdong data was reported at 0.520 % in 2024. This records a decrease from the previous number of 0.536 % for 2023. CN: Population: Death Rate: Guangdong data is updated yearly, averaging 0.497 % from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2024, with 35 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.617 % in 1992 and a record low of 0.421 % in 2010. CN: Population: Death Rate: Guangdong 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: Death Rate: By Region.

Forecast: Female Infant Mortality Rate in China 2022 - 2026 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

Forecast: Mortality Rate of Children under 5 in China 2022 - 2026 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

Forecast: Boys Under Five Mortality Rate in China 2022 - 2026 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

Mortality rate, adult, female (per 1,000 female adults) in China was reported at 55.27 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. China - Mortality rate, adult, female (per 1,000 female adults) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.