China's population declined for the first time in decades in 2023. This marks a definitive shift from decades of growth to a new era of demographic decline. The data reveals a rapidly aging society with a shrinking workforce and a historically low birth rate.
Key Takeaways
- 0-14 years: 17.17% of population in 2020 census.
- 12,175,000 births registered in 2023.
- China's total population at the end of 2023 was 1,409,670,000, down 2.08 million or 0.15% from 2022.
- Sex ratio at birth: 111.1 males per 100 females in 2020.
- Urban population: 65.22% or 920 million in 2023.
China’s population growth is slowing as births decline and aging accelerates across the country.
Related reading
01 · Category
Age Distribution24 stats
01
0-14 years: 17.17% of population in 2020 census.
02
15-59 years: 63.35% working age in 2020.
03
60+ years: 18.70% in 2020, up from 13.26% in 2010.
04
65+ years: 13.50% in 2023.
05
Median age: 40.1 years in 2023.
06
Dependency ratio total: 44.8% in 2020.
07
Youth dependency: 24.4%, old-age: 20.4% in 2020.
08
Population under 15 projected to fall to 11% by 2050.
09
80+ years: 2.62% in 2020 census.
10
Age pyramid narrowing at base due to low TFR.
11
Working age population peaked 2014 at 1.02 billion.
12
Children 0-4: 5.06% in 2023.
13
School-age 6-11: stable at ~100 million.
14
Elderly 60-69: largest group 12.5% in 2023.
15
Centenarians: over 60,000 in 2023.
16
Age structure 2020: 0-14 male 115 million, female 107 million.
17
15-64: male 452 million, female 419 million in 2020.
18
65+: male 63 million, female 71 million.
19
UN projection 0-14: 12.4% in 2050.
20
Old-age dependency to rise to 50% by 2050.
21
Youth bulge ended, now aging society.
22
2023 age groups: 0-14 240 million.
23
15-59: 858 million in 2023.
24
60+: 296 million in 2023.
Interpretation
Age Distribution Interpretation
The statistics show a nation maturing rapidly, with its formerly bustling youth demographic now being gently but decisively overshadowed by a swelling elderly population, which presents a profound challenge of supporting more grandparents with fewer grandchildren.
02 · Category
Births, Deaths, and Migration26 stats
01
12,175,000 births registered in 2023.
02
11,433,000 deaths in 2023.
03
9,027,000 births in 2022.
04
10,414,000 deaths in 2022.
05
Total fertility rate 1.0 in 2023.
06
TFR was 1.18 in 2022.
07
Replacement level fertility is 2.1, China's is below since 1990s.
08
Annual births declined 208,000 from 2022 to 2023.
09
Deaths increased 1,019,000 from 2022 to 2023.
10
Net international migration outflow: about 300,000 annually.
11
Internal migrants (floating population): 375 million in 2020.
12
Rural-urban migrants: 296 million inter-provincial in 2020.
13
One-child policy births affected 400 million fewer births est.
14
COVID-19 deaths impact minimal in official 2023 stats post-zero.
15
Life expectancy male: 76.0 years in 2023.
16
Life expectancy female: 80.4 years in 2023.
17
Stillbirth rate: 3.7 per 1,000 in recent years.
18
Neonatal mortality: 4.0 per 1,000 live births.
19
Under-5 mortality: 5.6 per 1,000.
20
Marriages registered: 6.1 million fewer in 2023 vs 2022.
21
Divorces: 2.8 million in 2023.
22
2020 census births 1950s cohort high due to baby boom.
23
Migration to cities peaked at 2.4% urban growth 2010s.
24
Overseas Chinese diaspora: 60 million est.
25
Remittances inflow: $57 billion in 2022.
26
Emigration rate: 0.1% of population.
Interpretation
Births, Deaths, and Migration Interpretation
China finds itself in a silent demographic reversal, where the echoes of its past one-child policy now meet a sobering present of fewer cradles and more coffins, all while its cities swell with internal migrants and its youth increasingly postpone or forgo family life altogether.
03 · Category
Population Size and Growth30 stats
01
China's total population at the end of 2023 was 1,409,670,000, down 2.08 million or 0.15% from 2022.
02
As of 2020 Census, China's mainland population was 1,411,778,724.
03
China's population peaked at approximately 1.426 billion in 2021 according to UN estimates.
04
World Bank data shows China's population at 1,425,887,337 in 2022.
05
CIA World Factbook estimates China's 2023 population at 1,413,182,000.
06
China's population density is 148 people per square kilometer as of 2023.
07
From 1950 to 2023, China's population grew from 543 million to 1.41 billion.
08
Annual population growth rate in China was -0.15% in 2023.
09
China's population in 1953 census was 594,067,420.
10
1982 census recorded 1,008,175,288 people in mainland China.
11
1990 census: 1,133,682,501.
12
2000 census: 1,242,612,226.
13
2010 census: 1,339,724,852.
14
Population projection for 2050: 1.313 billion (medium variant UN).
15
2100 projection: 767 million (UN medium).
16
China's population share of world total: 17.72% in 2023.
17
Urban population growth rate 2020-2023 averaged 1.5% annually.
18
Total fertility rate contributed to growth decline post-2016.
19
Life expectancy at birth rose to 78.2 years in 2023.
20
Infant mortality rate fell to 4.5 per 1,000 live births in 2023.
21
Maternal mortality ratio: 14.5 per 100,000 live births in 2023.
22
Crude birth rate: 6.39 per 1,000 in 2023.
23
Crude death rate: 7.87 per 1,000 in 2023.
24
Natural growth rate: -1.48 per 1,000 in 2023.
25
Net migration rate: -0.1 migrants per 1,000 population annually.
26
Population doubled from 1967 to 2017 approximately.
27
2022 population: 1,411,750,000.
28
2021 population: 1,412,360,000.
29
2020 population: 1,411,780,000.
30
Population growth 2010-2020: 5.38%.
Interpretation
Population Size and Growth Interpretation
China has finally perfected the art of subtraction, swapping its legendary demographic boom for a meticulous, statistically-significant sigh as it enters the era of the carefully managed decline.
More related reading
04 · Category
Sex and Gender Ratios24 stats
01
Sex ratio at birth: 111.1 males per 100 females in 2020.
02
Overall sex ratio: 104.7 males per 100 females in 2020.
03
Sex ratio 0-14: 113.2 in 2020.
04
15-59: 104.5 males/females.
05
60+: 89.4 males per 100 females.
06
30 million more males than females due to one-child policy.
07
Sex ratio at birth declined to 108.9 in 2023.
08
Male population 2023: 720 million, female 690 million.
09
Female life expectancy advantage: 4.4 years.
10
Marriage age males 29.4, females 27.9 in 2023.
11
Single males 30+: 20 million est.
12
Sex-selective abortions peaked 2000s.
13
Rural sex ratio higher: 107.7 vs urban 103.5 in 2020.
14
Gender parity index education: near 1.0.
15
Labor force female participation: 60%.
16
Maternal age first birth rising to 28+.
17
Widows outnumber widowers 4:1 in elderly.
18
Boys born per 100 girls: 108 in 2022.
19
Female-headed households rising post-policy.
20
Gender imbalance peaks at ages 20-40.
21
Policy relaxation 2016 reduced ratio slightly.
22
Urban female ratio 102.5 in 2023.
23
Rural male surplus 20 million.
24
Female literacy 96.8% vs male 97.5%.
Interpretation
Sex and Gender Ratios Interpretation
The one-child policy crafted a generation where men crowded the cradle only to find themselves in a lonely adulthood, while women, though outnumbered in youth, inherit the longevity and resilience to outlast them.
05 · Category
Urbanization, Regional, Ethnic25 stats
01
Urban population: 65.22% or 920 million in 2023.
02
Rural population: 34.78% or 489 million in 2023.
03
Urbanization rate 2020 census: 63.89%.
04
Shanghai most dense urban: 3,922/km².
05
Beijing population 21.86 million 2020.
06
Han Chinese: 91.11% or 1.288 billion in 2020.
07
Zhuang: 1.34% 18.9 million.
08
Hui: 0.81% 11.4 million.
09
Guangdong province: 126.01 million 2020.
10
Shandong: 101.53 million.
11
Henan: 99.37 million.
12
Rural poverty population fell to 16.6 million 2020.
13
Tibetan pop: 6.28 million, 0.45%.
14
Uyghur: 11.62 million in Xinjiang.
15
Floating pop urban hukou ineligible: 236 million 2020.
16
Mega-cities 10+ million: 15 in China.
17
Sichuan province: 83.90 million.
18
Hubei: 57.83 million.
19
Hunan: 66.37 million.
20
Ethnic minorities: 8.89% or 125.5 million.
21
Manchu: 10.4 million.
22
Miao: 9.43 million.
23
Yi: 8.85 million.
24
Tujia: 8.35 million.
25
Hebei province: 74.61 million.
Interpretation
Urbanization, Regional, Ethnic Interpretation
China’s urbanization has drawn nearly two-thirds of its people into its cities, creating a nation where over 900 million urbanites coexist with a rural population larger than that of most countries, all while navigating the complex tapestry of its vast ethnic diversity and internal migration.
Reference
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APA
Sophie Moreland. (2026, February 13). China Population Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/china-population-statistics
MLA
Sophie Moreland. "China Population Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/china-population-statistics.
Chicago
Sophie Moreland. 2026. "China Population Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/china-population-statistics.
Sources & references
21 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
stats.gov.cn
population.un.org
data.worldbank.org
cia.gov
macrotrends.net
ourworldindata.org
en.wikipedia.orgdata.un.org
bbc.comstats.gov.gov.cn
data.unicef.org
migrationpolicy.org
populationpyramid.net
economist.comworldbank.org
unfpa.org
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govun.orgncbi.nlm.nih.gov
pewresearch.org
brookings.edu