How many people in china

China Population 2022 (Live)

According to current projections, China’s population will finally peak in 2030 with a shrinking labor force and an over-65 population of 240 million. Only Japan has aged faster than China.

By 2026, both India and China are estimated to have 1.46 billion residents each, but India will start to take 1st place with a growth continuing until 2060, while China’s population is expected to decline after 2030.

China Population Growth

The size of China’s population has long been a hot political issue in China. After rapid population growth in the middle of the 20th century, the Chinese government sought to limit population growth by introducing the famous «one-child policy.»

The scheme, which rewarded couples that agreed to have just one child with cash bonuses and better access to housing, proved so successful that the birth rate of 1.4 children per woman fell below the replacement rate of 2.1 children per woman. As a result, experts are now concerned that China’s low birth rate, combined with its aging population, will damage its future economic development.

The one-child policy was met with a great deal of resistance, particularly in rural areas. Families who breach this policy tend to lie on census polls, so the true population of China may be a bit skewed. This means that Chinese population statistics have become less reliable since the policy began in the 1970s. The policy was ended by the Chinese government in 2016.

Much of China’s economic growth has been attributed to its abundant and cheap workforce, combined with its low social costs. However, with the number of young Chinese falling and the number of elderly Chinese increasing, it is not certain whether China’s economy can continue to grow at the same rapid rate.

China also has an abnormal ratio of male to female births. Whereas in most countries more girls are born than boys, in China the reverse is true. Many suspect that this is because of a preference for boys among Chinese families.

In the year 2010, China took up its most recent official census efforts. The country hired approximately ten million workers to help manage the enormous task of discovering the statistics of over one billion residents. The growth from 2000 to 2010 was roughly 5.8% over the decade.

China Population Projections

China’s has slowed significantly since the implementation of the one-child policy, and that slowing is projected to continue. The population is predicted to grow at increasingly slower rates until 2030, at which point the population should actually begin to decrease.

China Population

China Population clock (live)

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Contents

Quick facts about the population of China

(Population figures are estimates by Countrymeters based on the latest United Nations data)

The data is given as of 1st of January of an year.

China population 2022

Population change rates in 2022

According to our estimations, daily change rates of China population in 2022 will be the following:

Demographics of China 2021

Below are the key figures for China population in 2021:

China population density

China population density is 151.2 people per square kilometer (391.7/mi 2 ) as of August 2022. Density of population is calculated as permanently settled population of China divided by total area of the country. Total area is the sum of land and water areas within international boundaries and coastlines of China. The total area of China is 9,598,089 km 2 (3,705,843 mi 2 ) according to the United Nations Statistics Division .

With almost 9.6 millions km 2 (3.7 millions sq.miles) of total surface area, China is the 4th largest country in the world after Russia, Canada and The United States of America. The population density of China is 4 times higher than The United States has with almost the same area. Despite the fact that China is the most populated country in the world, the density of its population is comparable with population densities of many Western Europe countries. For example, the United Kingdom population density is even twice higher compared to China.

Map of China administrative units by population density

Ethnic groups in China

There are 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the People’s Republic of China. The Han Chinese people are the largest ethnic group according to the 2010 Census (91.51% of the total population). Today it is about 1,332,430,676 persons. Ethnic minorities constitute 8.49% or 123,618,582 assuming same share as in 2010.

Source: National Bureau of Statistics of China: China Statistical Yearbook 2011 .

Religions and beliefs in China

Source: Pew Research Center. The Global Religious Landscape: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World’s Major Religious Groups as of 2010 .

Number of followers estimated by Countrymeters (Sunday, August 14 2022).

Urbanization in China

China urbanization chart

China age structure

As of the beginning of 2022 according to our estimates China had the following population age distribution:

In absolute figures (estimate):

We prepared a simplified model of the population distribution pyramid which is broken down into 3 main age groups. The groups are the same as we used above: population under 15, between 15 and 64 and population which is over 65 year old.

Note: The pyramid provided is not corresponding to data given above because the age groups have different number of years.

As we can see the China population pyramid has a contracting type. This type of pyramid is more common for highly developed countries with low birth and death rates. Usually countries with such kind of population age distribution model have long life expectancy, high level of education and good health care.

Source: The estimation data for section «China age structure» is based on the latest demographic and social statistics by United Nations Statistics Division .

Age dependency ratio

Dependency ratio of population is a ratio of people who are generally not in the labor force (the dependents) to workforce of a country (the productive part of population). The dependent part includes the population under 15 years old and people aged 65 and over. The productive part of population accordingly consists of population between 15 and 64 years.

This ratio shows the pressure on productive population produced by the dependent part of population.

The total dependency ratio of population in China is 35.9 %.

The value of 35.9 % is relatively low. It shows that the dependent part of population is less than a half of the working part. In other words the working population (labor force) in China must provide goods for itself and cover expenditure on children and aged persons. And this part of population is less than 50% of working population. The value of less than 50% means that the pressure on productive population in China is relatively low.

Child dependency ratio

Child dependency ratio is a ratio of people below working age (under 15) to workforce of a country.

Child dependency ratio in China is 23.9 %.

Aged dependency ratio

Aged dependency ratio is a ratio of people above working age (65+) to workforce of a country.

Aged dependency ratio in China is 12 %.

Source: The estimation data for section «China age dependency ratio» is based on the latest demographic and social statistics by United Nations Statistics Division .

Life expectancy

Life expectancy at birth is one of the most important demographic indicator. It shows the number of years a newborn infant would live assuming that birth and death rates will remain at the same level during the whole lifetime.

Total life expectancy (both sexes) at birth for China is 74.7 years.
This is above the average life expectancy at birth of the global population which is about 71 years (according to Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations).

Male life expectancy at birth is 72.7 years.
Female life expectancy at birth is 76.9 years.

Literacy of population

According to our estimates 1,152,652,091 persons or 96.36% of adult population (aged 15 years and above) in China are able to read and write. Accordingly about 43,516,983 adults are illiterate.

Literacy rate for adult male population is 98.17% (599,217,415 persons). 11,182,527 are illiterate.
Literacy rate for adult female population is 94.48% (553,434,676 persons). 32,334,456 are illiterate.

Youth literacy rates are 99.74% and 99.71% for males and females accordingly. The overall youth literacy rate is 99.73%. Youth literacy rate definition covers the population between the ages of 15 to 24 years.

Source: The estimation data for section «China population literacy» is based on the latest data published by UNESCO Institute for Statistics (retrieved March 13, 2016) .

China population history

The data is given as of 1st of January of an year.

Population projection (2020-2100)

The data is given as of 1st of July of an year (medium fertility variant).

Source : United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs: Population Division

China Population (LIVE)

Population of China (2020 and historical)

China Population Forecast

China Demographics

Main Cities by Population in China

(includes boroughs, districts, urban agglomerations, etc.)

See also

Notes

The China Population (Live) counter shows a continuously updated estimate of the current population of China delivered by Worldometer’s RTS algorithm, which processes data collected from the United Nations Population Division.

The Yearly Population Growth Rate chart plots the annual percentage changes in population registered on July 1 of each year, from 1951 to 2019. This value can differ from the Yearly % Change shown in the historical table, which shows the last year equivalent percentage change assuming homogeneous change in the preceding five year period.

Definitions

Year: as of July 1 of the year indicated.

Population: Overall total population (both sexes and all ages) in the country as of July 1 of the year indicated, as estimated by the United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. World Population Prospects: The 2019 Revision. For forecasted years, the U.N. medium-fertility variant is used.

Read More Definitions.

Yearly % Change: For 2019: percentage change in total population over the last year (from July 1, 2018 to June 30 2019). For all other years: latest year annual percentage change equivalent assuming homogeneous change in the preceding five year period, calculated through reverse compounding.

Yearly Change: For 2019: absolute change in total population (increase or decrease in number of people) over the last year (from July 1, 2018 to June 30 2019). For all other years: average annual numerical change over the preceding five year period.

Migrants (net): The average annual number of immigrants minus the number of emigrants over the preceding five year period (running from July 1 to June 30 of the initial and final years), or subsequent five year period (for 2016 data). A negative number means that there are more emigrants than immigrants.

Median Age: age that divides the population into two numerically equal groups: half of the people are older than the median age indicated and half are younger. This parameter provides an indication of age distribution.

Fertility Rate: (Total Fertility Rate, or TFR), it is expressed as children per woman. It is calculated as the average number of children an average woman will have during her reproductive period (15 to 49 years old) based on the current fertility rates of every age group in the country, and assuming she is not subject to mortality.

Density (P/Km²): (Population Density) Population per square Kilometer (Km²).

Urban Pop % : Urban population as a percentage of total population.

Urban Population: Population living in areas classified as urban according to the criteria used by each country.

Country’s Share of World Pop: Total population in the country as a percentage of total World Population as of July 1 of the year indicated.

World Population: Total World Population as of July 1 of the year indicated.

Global Rank: Position held by China in the list of all countries worldwide ranked by population (from the highest population to the lowest population) as of July 1 of the year indicated.

China Population (LIVE)

Population of China (2020 and historical)

China Population Forecast

China Demographics

Main Cities by Population in China

(includes boroughs, districts, urban agglomerations, etc.)

See also

Notes

The China Population (Live) counter shows a continuously updated estimate of the current population of China delivered by Worldometer’s RTS algorithm, which processes data collected from the United Nations Population Division.

The Yearly Population Growth Rate chart plots the annual percentage changes in population registered on July 1 of each year, from 1951 to 2019. This value can differ from the Yearly % Change shown in the historical table, which shows the last year equivalent percentage change assuming homogeneous change in the preceding five year period.

Definitions

Year: as of July 1 of the year indicated.

Population: Overall total population (both sexes and all ages) in the country as of July 1 of the year indicated, as estimated by the United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. World Population Prospects: The 2019 Revision. For forecasted years, the U.N. medium-fertility variant is used.

Read More Definitions.

Yearly % Change: For 2019: percentage change in total population over the last year (from July 1, 2018 to June 30 2019). For all other years: latest year annual percentage change equivalent assuming homogeneous change in the preceding five year period, calculated through reverse compounding.

Yearly Change: For 2019: absolute change in total population (increase or decrease in number of people) over the last year (from July 1, 2018 to June 30 2019). For all other years: average annual numerical change over the preceding five year period.

Migrants (net): The average annual number of immigrants minus the number of emigrants over the preceding five year period (running from July 1 to June 30 of the initial and final years), or subsequent five year period (for 2016 data). A negative number means that there are more emigrants than immigrants.

Median Age: age that divides the population into two numerically equal groups: half of the people are older than the median age indicated and half are younger. This parameter provides an indication of age distribution.

Fertility Rate: (Total Fertility Rate, or TFR), it is expressed as children per woman. It is calculated as the average number of children an average woman will have during her reproductive period (15 to 49 years old) based on the current fertility rates of every age group in the country, and assuming she is not subject to mortality.

Density (P/Km²): (Population Density) Population per square Kilometer (Km²).

Urban Pop % : Urban population as a percentage of total population.

Urban Population: Population living in areas classified as urban according to the criteria used by each country.

Country’s Share of World Pop: Total population in the country as a percentage of total World Population as of July 1 of the year indicated.

World Population: Total World Population as of July 1 of the year indicated.

Global Rank: Position held by China in the list of all countries worldwide ranked by population (from the highest population to the lowest population) as of July 1 of the year indicated.

China Population 1950-2022

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