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.

In 2024, approximately 67 percent of the total population in China lived in cities. The urbanization rate has increased steadily in China over the last decades. Degree of urbanization in China Urbanization is generally defined as a process of people migrating from rural to urban areas, during which towns and cities are formed and increase in size. Even though urbanization is not exclusively a modern phenomenon, industrialization and modernization did accelerate its progress. As shown in the statistic at hand, the degree of urbanization of China, the world's second-largest economy, rose from 36 percent in 2000 to around 51 percent in 2011. That year, the urban population surpassed the number of rural residents for the first time in the country's history.The urbanization rate varies greatly in different parts of China. While urbanization is lesser advanced in western or central China, in most coastal regions in eastern China more than two-thirds of the population lives already in cities. Among the ten largest Chinese cities in 2021, six were located in coastal regions in East and South China. Urbanization in international comparison Brazil and Russia, two other BRIC countries, display a much higher degree of urbanization than China. On the other hand, in India, the country with the worlds’ largest population, a mere 36.3 percent of the population lived in urban regions as of 2023. Similar to other parts of the world, the progress of urbanization in China is closely linked to modernization. From 2000 to 2024, the contribution of agriculture to the gross domestic product in China shrank from 14.7 percent to 6.8 percent. Even more evident was the decrease of workforce in agriculture.

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.

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

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.

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.

Hong Kong HK: Rural Population: % of Total Population data was reported at 0.000 % in 2017. This stayed constant from the previous number of 0.000 % for 2016. Hong Kong HK: Rural Population: % of Total Population data is updated yearly, averaging 1.298 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 14.800 % in 1960 and a record low of 0.000 % in 2017. Hong Kong HK: Rural Population: % of Total Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Hong Kong SAR – Table HK.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population.; ; World Bank staff estimates based on the United Nations Population Division's World Urbanization Prospects: 2018 Revision.; Weighted average;

Hong Kong HK: Rural Population data was reported at 0.000 Person in 2017. This stayed constant from the previous number of 0.000 Person for 2016. Hong Kong HK: Rural Population data is updated yearly, averaging 73,340.000 Person from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 488,523.000 Person in 1965 and a record low of 0.000 Person in 2017. Hong Kong HK: Rural Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Hong Kong – Table HK.World Bank: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.; ; World Bank staff estimates based on the United Nations Population Division's World Urbanization Prospects: 2018 Revision.; Sum;

Throughout the past few years, there has been a steady progression in rural China’s internet infrastructure. By June 2025, the internet penetration rate in rural areas in the country stood at **** percent, yet, remained lower than the national level. The internet coverage in urban regions reached **** percent. The leaps in Chinese telecommunications Since the 1990s, China has seen a rapid development of telecommunications, mainly driven by the introduction of fiber-optic systems and digital technologies. The Chinese government had been keen on building more telecommunication infrastructure. Between 2014 and 2023, the number of 4G mobile base stations saw a dramatic increase. The internet connection has been extensively expanded to public places. It is also worth noting that the download speed of fixed-line broadband in China has been upgraded substantially. Unleash the rural internet power Yet among the *** million rural population in China, a ***** did not have access to the internet in 2025. To provide more affordable internet services, measures have been carried out in Chinese villages and small towns to reduce service rates and extend the broadband connection. As of June 2025, around **** percent of internet users were living in rural China. With the enhancement of internet coverage in the countryside, the Chinese online community will see plenty of growth.

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.

Macau MO: Rural Population data was reported at 0.000 Person in 2017. This stayed constant from the previous number of 0.000 Person for 2016. Macau MO: Rural Population data is updated yearly, averaging 1,039.500 Person from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 7,964.000 Person in 1961 and a record low of 0.000 Person in 2017. Macau MO: Rural Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Macau SAR – Table MO.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.; ; World Bank staff estimates based on the United Nations Population Division's World Urbanization Prospects: 2018 Revision.; Sum;

Actual value and historical data chart for China People Using Basic Sanitation Services Rural Percent Of Rural Population

Actual value and historical data chart for China Access To Electricity Rural Percent Of 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.

This scatter chart displays death rate (per 1,000 people) against rural population (people) in China. The data is filtered where the date is 2021. The data is about countries per year.

As of June 2025, around **** percent of internet users in China lived in rural areas. Meanwhile, the Internet penetration in rural areas was **** percent.

Population: Household Registration: Urbanization Rate: Sichuan: Meishan data was reported at 39.306 % in 2024. This records a decrease from the previous number of 39.324 % for 2023. Population: Household Registration: Urbanization Rate: Sichuan: Meishan data is updated yearly, averaging 32.250 % from Dec 2010 (Median) to 2024, with 15 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 39.324 % in 2023 and a record low of 26.070 % in 2010. Population: Household Registration: Urbanization Rate: Sichuan: Meishan data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Meishan Municipal Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Socio-Demographic – Table CN.GE: Population: Prefecture Level City: Urbanization Rate. Data of urban population and rural population before 2016 are those of non-agricultural population and agricultural population.

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.