China, a nation of 1.41 billion people in 2023, where population growth has turned negative for the first time in decades—peaking at 1.426 billion in 2021, with a median age risen sharply from 28.8 to 39 over the past 13 years, and a fertility rate of just 1.09 children per woman—faces a demographic landscape shaped by centuries of change, from the 900 million increase since 1950 to current trends like urbanization that have lifted 700 million out of poverty, slowed population growth due to a one-child policy that averted 400 million births, and ongoing shifts toward an aging society with over 297 million over-60s (13.75% of the total), a shrinking working-age population that peaked at 1 billion in 2014, and rural-to-urban migration of 300 million since 1978, all while maintaining a population share of 17.72% of the world and diversifying with 56 ethnic groups, including 125 million minorities, and improving life expectancy to 78.2 years, though grappling with challenges like a 46.2% dependency ratio, 84% contraceptive prevalence, and a rapidly narrowing age pyramid.
Key Takeaways
- China's total population as of 2023 is 1,411,778,724 people
- China's population growth rate in 2023 was -0.15%
- China had a net migration rate of -0.22 migrants per 1,000 population in 2023
- 0-14 years comprise 17.95% of population in 2023
- 15-64 years age group is 68.3% of total population
- 65+ years population is 13.75% in 2023
- Urban population 65.2% of total in 2023
- Rural population 34.8% or 491 million in 2023
- Urbanization rate increased from 49.95% in 2010 to 65.22% in 2023
- Han Chinese comprise 91.11% of population
- Zhuang ethnic group 16.9 million or 1.27%
- Hui Muslims 10.6 million, 0.79% of total
- Fertility rate 1.09 births per woman in 2023
- Crude birth rate 6.39 per 1,000 in 2023
- Crude death rate 7.87 per 1,000 in 2023
China's 2023 population is 1.41B, with negative growth, aging, low fertility.
Age Structure
- 0-14 years comprise 17.95% of population in 2023
- 15-64 years age group is 68.3% of total population
- 65+ years population is 13.75% in 2023
- Dependency ratio total is 46.2% in 2023
- Youth dependency ratio is 24.5%, elderly 21.7% in 2023
- Sex ratio at birth is 111 males per 100 females
- Overall sex ratio is 104.4 males per 100 females
- Male population 720.7 million, females 691.1 million in 2023
- Age structure 0-14: 252 million people
- Working-age population peaked at 1 billion in 2014
- Over-80 population to reach 100 million by 2050
- Child population (0-14) declined 5.6% from 2020-2023
- Median age projected to 50.7 by 2050
- Females outnumber males in 65+ group by 20 million
- School-age population (3-6 years) is 45 million
- Prime working age (25-54) is 55% of total
- Centenarian population exceeds 40,000 in 2023
- Age pyramid narrowing at base due to low fertility
- Rural elderly ratio higher at 20% vs urban 10%
- Potential support ratio is 5.8 workers per retiree
- 15-24 age group shrinking by 2% annually
- Female median age 41.0, male 37.9 in 2023
- Over-60 population reached 297 million in 2023
Age Structure Interpretation
In 2023, China’s demographic landscape paints a picture of a mature population: 68.3% in their working years (15-64), 17.95% under 14, and 13.75% 65+, with a total dependency ratio of 46.2% (24.5% from young dependents, 21.7% from elderly), a sex ratio at birth of 111 males per 100 females (104.4 overall, with 20 million more women in the 65+ group), 720.7 million males and 691.1 million females, 252 million children (down 5.6% since 2020), a working-age peak of 1 billion in 2014, 45 million 3-6 year olds, 55% in their prime working years (25-54), 297 million over 60, 40,000 centenarians, rural areas with 20% elderly vs 10% urban, 15-24 year-olds shrinking 2% yearly, and a future where the age pyramid narrows at the base due to low fertility, over-80s hitting 100 million by 2050, median age reaching 50.7, and just 5.8 working-age people per retiree—though women still have a higher median age (41.0 vs men’s 37.9).
Ethnic Diversity
- Han Chinese comprise 91.11% of population
- Zhuang ethnic group 16.9 million or 1.27%
- Hui Muslims 10.6 million, 0.79% of total
- Uyghur population 11.6 million in Xinjiang
- 56 officially recognized ethnic groups
- Manchu 10.4 million, 0.77%
- Miao 11.1 million, 0.83%
- Yi 9.4 million, 0.70%
- Tujia 9.0 million, 0.67%
- Tibetan 7.1 million, 0.53%
- Ethnic minorities total 125 million or 8.89%
- Mongol 6.3 million, 0.47%
- Korean Chinese 1.7 million in northeast
- Ethnic autonomy regions cover 64% land, 8% pop
- Bouyei 3.6 million, 0.27%
- Korean ethnic literacy 99.5%, high among minorities
- Dong 3.0 million, 0.22%
- Yao 3.0 million, 0.22%
- Bai 2.0 million, 0.15%
- Hani 1.7 million, 0.13%
- Kazakh 1.6 million in Xinjiang
- Li 1.8 million in Hainan
- Ethnic intermarriage rate rising to 15% in cities
- Overseas ethnic Chinese 60 million
Ethnic Diversity Interpretation
While Han Chinese make up more than nine in ten of China’s population, over 125 million citizens belong to one of 55 official ethnic minorities—including 16.9 million Zhuang, 10.6 million Hui Muslims, and 11.6 million Uyghurs—who together form 8.89%, with autonomous regions covering two-thirds of the land but just 8% of the people; intermarriage is growing (15% in cities), and 60 million Chinese live overseas.
Population Dynamics
- China's total population as of 2023 is 1,411,778,724 people
- China's population growth rate in 2023 was -0.15%
- China had a net migration rate of -0.22 migrants per 1,000 population in 2023
- China's population density is 153 people per square kilometer as of 2023
- From 1950 to 2023, China's population increased by over 900 million people
- China's median age rose from 28.8 in 2010 to 39.0 in 2023
- Annual population change in China for 2022-2023 was -848,000 people
- China's population peaked at approximately 1.426 billion in 2021
- Doubling time for China's population is now infinite due to negative growth
- China's urban population growth rate was 1.79% from 2022-2023
- Rural population decline in China was 5.6 million in 2022
- China's total fertility rate contributed to 0.9 children per woman in 2023, impacting growth
- Infant mortality reduction led to slower population growth post-2000
- One-child policy (1979-2015) averted 400 million births
- China's population is projected to drop to 1.313 billion by 2050
- 2023 population census showed 1.409 billion residents
- Overseas Chinese population is about 50 million globally
- China's population share of world total is 17.72% in 2023
- Life expectancy gains added 300 million to population since 1950
- Negative natural increase began in 2022 at -0.60 per 1,000
- China's land area supports 1.41 billion with 7% arable land
- Population momentum expected to decline post-2030
- 14th Five-Year Plan targets stable population around 1.4 billion
- COVID-19 impact reduced 2023 births by 10%
Population Dynamics Interpretation
China’s 1.41 billion people in 2023—with a growth rate of -0.15%, a median age up from 28.8 in 2010 to 39, a negative net migration rate, and a fertility rate of 0.9 per woman—are navigating a demographic landscape shaped by a century of explosive growth (from under 500 million in 1950 to 1.4 billion), a one-child policy that averted 400 million births, a population peak in 2021, negative natural increase since 2022, urban growth at 1.79% from 2022 to 2023, a 5.6 million drop in rural population in 2022, COVID reducing 2023 births by 10%, a projected decline to 1.313 billion by 2050, a land area sustaining 1.41 billion with just 7% arable land, life expectancy gains adding 300 million people since 1950, and population momentum set to wane post-2030, all while aligning with the 14th Five-Year Plan’s goal of a stable population around 1.4 billion.
Urban-Rural Divide
- Urban population 65.2% of total in 2023
- Rural population 34.8% or 491 million in 2023
- Urbanization rate increased from 49.95% in 2010 to 65.22% in 2023
- Annual urbanization growth 1.79% average 2018-2023
- 900 million urban residents in 2023
- Hukou urban permits issued to 13 million rural migrants yearly
- Rural-to-urban migration totals 300 million since 1978
- Megacities (pop >10M) number 15 in China 2023
- Rural poverty rate dropped to 0.6% in 2023
- Urban household size 2.6 persons vs rural 3.1
- Floating population of migrants 376 million in 2020 census
- Urban land area expanded 5x since 1990
- Rural workforce declined to 40% of total employed
- New urban areas absorb 20 million annually pre-2020
- Urban density averages 1,400 per sq km in cities
- Rural depopulation rate 1.5% yearly in western provinces
- 700 million lifted from rural poverty 1978-2020
- Urban-rural income gap narrowed to 2.45:1 in 2023
- Slum population in urban China under 5%
- Rural elderly left-behind 50 million
- Urbanization to reach 70% by 2035 per plan
Urban-Rural Divide Interpretation
In 2023, over two-thirds of China’s 1.4 billion people live in cities—up from under 50% in 2010—with 900 million urban residents, 13 million rural migrants annually gaining city hukou, and 300 million having moved to urban areas since 1978; while megacities like Shanghai bustle with density (1,400 people per sq km), 491 million still live in rural areas, 50 million of them with elderly left behind, and the urban-rural income gap narrows to 2.45:1, as 700 million escaped poverty between 1978 and 2020, and plans aim for 70% urbanization by 2035, a billion-person shift that balances growth, migration, and the lingering pull of rural roots.
Vital Statistics
- Fertility rate 1.09 births per woman in 2023
- Crude birth rate 6.39 per 1,000 in 2023
- Crude death rate 7.87 per 1,000 in 2023
- Life expectancy at birth 78.2 years in 2023
- Infant mortality rate 5.1 deaths per 1,000 live births
- Maternal mortality ratio 16 per 100,000 live births 2020
- Total fertility rate declined from 6.0 in 1950 to 1.09
- 9.02 million births registered in 2023
- 11.10 million deaths in 2023
- Net reproduction rate 0.49 in 2023
- Life expectancy female 81.0 years, male 75.3
- Under-5 mortality 6.1 per 1,000 in 2022
- Natural increase rate -1.48 per 1,000 in 2023
- Contraceptive prevalence 84% among women 15-49
- Abortion ratio high at 20 per 100 births
- Healthy life expectancy 68.9 years in 2023
- Neonatal mortality 3.3 per 1,000 live births
- Stillbirth rate 3.6 per 1,000 in 2020
- Suicide rate 8.1 per 100,000, higher in rural areas
- Causes of death: circulatory diseases 45%
- Cancer mortality 18% of total deaths
- Respiratory diseases 11% of deaths in 2023
- Replacement fertility level unmet since 1990s
- Late marriage age average 29 for men, 27 women
Vital Statistics Interpretation
In 2023, China’s demographics reveal a striking contrast: a fertility rate of 1.09 births per woman (down from 6.0 in 1950) has led to a natural decrease of -1.48 per 1,000, with men living 5.7 years fewer than women (75.3 vs. 81.0), circulatory diseases (45%), cancer (18%), and respiratory issues (11%) topping causes of death, high contraceptive use (84%) and abortion rates (20 per 100 births), replacement-level fertility unmet since the 1990s, marriage ages averaging 29 for men and 27 for women, a healthy life expectancy of 68.9 years, under-5 mortality of 6.1 per 1,000 (2022), and neonate deaths at 3.3 per 1,000 live births—all painting a picture of a population navigating a shrinking base, shifting health burdens, and evolving social norms.
Sources & References
- Reference 1CIAcia.govVisit source
- Reference 2DATAdata.worldbank.orgVisit source
- Reference 3POPULATIONpopulation.un.orgVisit source
- Reference 4STATSstats.gov.cnVisit source
- Reference 5STATISTAstatista.comVisit source
- Reference 6PEWRESEARCHpewresearch.orgVisit source
- Reference 7UNun.orgVisit source
- Reference 8ENen.wikipedia.orgVisit source
- Reference 9WHOwho.intVisit source