China's population stands at 1.41 billion after two consecutive years of decline. Urban residents now comprise 66 percent of the total while the fertility rate has reached one child per woman. The sections below present the latest figures on demographics, economic output, geography, politics, and society.
Key Takeaways
- China's population in 2023 was 1,409,670,000, marking the second consecutive year of decline
- China's nominal GDP in 2023 reached 17.79 trillion US dollars, making it the world's second-largest economy
- Total land area of China is 9,596,960 square kilometers
- China is a unitary one-party socialist republic led by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)
- Internet users: 1.09 billion in 2023
China’s latest data shows steady growth with key indicators improving across major sectors.
Related reading
01 · Category
Demographics25 stats
01
China's population in 2023 was 1,409,670,000, marking the second consecutive year of decline
02
The birth rate in China was 6.39 per 1,000 people in 2023
03
Death rate in China stood at 7.87 per 1,000 in 2023
04
Natural population growth rate was -1.48 per 1,000 in 2023
05
Life expectancy at birth in China was 78.2 years in 2023
06
Median age of the population in China is 39.0 years as of 2023
07
Urban population percentage reached 66.16% in 2023
08
Sex ratio at birth was 111.1 males per 100 females in 2023
09
Total fertility rate was 1.0 children per woman in 2023
10
Population aged 0-14 was 17.2% in 2023
11
Working-age population (15-64) comprised 68.3% in 2023
12
Population aged 65+ was 14.5% in 2023
13
Net migration rate was -0.15 migrants per 1,000 population in 2023
14
Overseas Chinese population is approximately 60.4 million as of 2023
15
Ethnic Han Chinese make up 91.11% of the population
16
Largest minority group Zhuang at 1.26%
17
Shanghai's population is 24.87 million in 2023
18
Beijing's population is 21.54 million in 2023
19
Number of births in 2023 was 9.02 million
20
Number of deaths was 11.10 million in 2023
21
Infant mortality rate was 4.8 per 1,000 live births in 2023
22
Maternal mortality ratio declined to 15.1 per 100,000 live births in 2023
23
Literacy rate for population aged 15+ is 97.15% in 2023
24
Average household size is 2.62 persons in 2023
25
Internal migrants (floating population) numbered 492 million in 2023
Interpretation
Demographics Interpretation
China's remarkable demographic script has hit a dramatic second-act twist, where its citizens are living longer and moving to cities in record numbers, yet the looming final act features a shrinking, aging cast with too few understudies being born to sustain the show.
02 · Category
Economy30 stats
01
China's nominal GDP in 2023 reached 17.79 trillion US dollars, making it the world's second-largest economy
02
China's GDP growth rate in 2023 was 5.2%, exceeding the government's target of around 5%
03
The manufacturing sector contributed 26.3% to China's GDP in 2023
04
China's total exports in 2023 amounted to 3.38 trillion US dollars
05
Foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows to China in 2023 were 163.24 billion US dollars
06
China's public debt-to-GDP ratio stood at 83.6% in 2023
07
The service sector accounted for 54.6% of China's GDP in 2023
08
China's retail sales of consumer goods grew by 7.2% year-on-year in 2023
09
Industrial production in China increased by 4.6% in 2023
10
China's fixed-asset investment rose by 3.0% in 2023
11
Unemployment rate in urban China averaged 5.2% in 2023
12
China's consumer price index (CPI) inflation was 0.2% in 2023
13
China's current account surplus was 264.8 billion US dollars in 2023
14
The value of China's high-tech exports reached 1.02 trillion US dollars in 2023
15
China's merchandise trade volume hit 5.82 trillion US dollars in 2023
16
Stock market capitalization in China was 10.8 trillion US dollars at end-2023
17
China's domestic R&D expenditure was 3.3 trillion yuan in 2023
18
The share of digital economy in China's GDP was 41.5% in 2023
19
China's outbound direct investment was 147.9 billion US dollars in 2023
20
Per capita GDP in China reached 12,614 US dollars in 2023
21
China's fiscal revenue grew by 6.4% in 2023
22
The proportion of private enterprises in China's industrial output was 62.1% in 2023
23
China's e-commerce transaction volume exceeded 45 trillion yuan in 2023
24
Energy consumption per unit of GDP decreased by 0.5% in 2023
25
China's patent applications filed reached 1.58 million in 2023
26
Venture capital investment in China was 72.4 billion US dollars in 2023
27
China's logistics market size hit 351 trillion yuan in 2023
28
The output of automobiles in China was 30.16 million units in 2023
29
China's crude steel production was 1.02 billion tons in 2023
30
Semiconductor sales in China grew by 7.7% to 179.48 billion US dollars in 2023
Interpretation
Economy Interpretation
While its engine purrs at a steady, state-managed 5.2% and its factory floor still roars, China's economy is methodically shifting gears, balancing massive state-led scale with cautious consumption, surging tech exports, and a digital transformation, all while carefully managing the significant weight of its own ambition and debt.
03 · Category
Geography24 stats
01
Total land area of China is 9,596,960 square kilometers
02
Coastline length is 14,500 kilometers
03
Arable land constitutes 11.62% of total land area
04
Forest cover is 23.63% of land area in 2023
05
Freshwater withdrawal as percentage of internal resources is 19.2%
06
Highest point is Mount Everest at 8,849 meters (shared with Nepal)
07
Lowest point is Turpan Pendi at -154 meters
08
Major rivers include Yangtze (6,300 km) and Yellow River (5,464 km)
09
Number of islands is over 7,500
10
Desert and semi-desert areas cover 27% of land
11
Annual precipitation averages 645 mm nationwide
12
Temperature range from -30°C in winter to 40°C in summer extremes
13
Biodiversity: over 30,000 plant species
14
Protected areas cover 18% of land territory
15
PM2.5 concentration in Beijing averaged 32.6 µg/m³ in 2023
16
Carbon dioxide emissions totaled 11.9 billion metric tons in 2023
17
Renewable energy capacity reached 1,566 GW in 2023
18
Hydropower installed capacity is 421 GW
19
Solar PV capacity is 584 GW in 2023
20
Wind power capacity is 441 GW in 2023
21
Number of cities with over 1 million population: 172 in 2023
22
Total railway length is 159,000 km in 2023
23
Expressway length exceeds 183,000 km in 2023
24
Navigable inland waterways total 127,000 km
Interpretation
Geography Interpretation
China is a study in extremes: from the world's roof to a desert basin, it crams mega-cities and mega-dams onto a tight quilt of arable land, wrestling colossal green energy ambitions against a still-heavy carbon shadow.
More related reading
04 · Category
Politics23 stats
01
China is a unitary one-party socialist republic led by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)
02
Xi Jinping has been General Secretary of the CCP since 2012 and President since 2013
03
National People's Congress (NPC) has 2,977 members as of 2023
04
CCP membership exceeded 98.3 million in 2023
05
State Council is headed by Premier Li Qiang since 2023
06
Military expenditure was 292 billion US dollars in 2023, ranking second globally
07
People's Liberation Army (PLA) active personnel: 2,035,000
08
China has 34 provincial-level administrative divisions
09
Corruption Perceptions Index score: 42/100 in 2023
10
Freedom House rating: 9/100 (Not Free) in 2023
11
Human Development Index rank: 75th out of 193 in 2023
12
Number of billionaires: 495 in 2023
13
Passport power rank: 62nd (Henley Passport Index 2023)
14
Diplomatic relations with 181 UN member states
15
Permanent seats on UN Security Council since 1971
16
Belt and Road Initiative countries: 150+ partners
17
Anti-corruption campaigns prosecuted over 4.9 million officials since 2012
18
Internet censorship: Great Firewall blocks thousands of sites
19
Press Freedom Index rank: 179/180 in 2023
20
Voter turnout in NPC elections: effectively 100% under controlled system
21
Central Committee of CCP has 205 full members
22
Politburo Standing Committee: 7 members in 2023
23
Local governments: over 600,000 township-level units
Interpretation
Politics Interpretation
To maintain its formidable unity and ambition, China balances immense scale and concentrated leadership with rigorous internal discipline, projecting global influence while carefully managing its internal complexities.
05 · Category
Society21 stats
01
Internet users: 1.09 billion in 2023
02
Mobile phone subscriptions: 1.72 billion in 2023
03
5G base stations: over 3.6 million in 2023
04
High-speed internet penetration: 75% household in 2023
05
Literacy rate: 97.15% for ages 15-24
06
PISA 2022 scores: Math 578, Reading 510, Science 523 (top globally)
07
University enrollment: 47.6 million students in 2023
08
Suicide rate: 8.1 per 100,000 in 2019 (latest)
09
Happiness rank: 60th in World Happiness Report 2024
10
Gender Inequality Index: 0.168 (medium)
11
Labor force participation rate (female): 60.5% in 2023
12
Domestic tourism trips: 6.57 billion in 2023
13
Film box office: 55 billion yuan in 2023
14
Nobel Prize winners: 9 (8 in science, 1 Peace)
15
Olympic medals: 88 (gold 40) in Tokyo 2020/21
16
Electric vehicle ownership: over 20 million in 2023
17
Hanfu wearers: estimated 10 million enthusiasts in 2023
18
Spring Festival TV audience: 1.5 billion in 2024
19
WeChat monthly active users: 1.38 billion in 2023
20
Douyin (TikTok China) users: 766 million daily active in 2023
21
Online shoppers: 904 million in 2023
Interpretation
Society Interpretation
China's digital society, where a billion citizens are hyper-connected, globally competitive in classrooms, and active in commerce and culture, exists alongside a search for happiness that hasn't yet cracked the top 50.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Marie Larsen. (2026, February 13). China Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/china-statistics
MLA
Marie Larsen. "China Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/china-statistics.
Chicago
Marie Larsen. 2026. "China Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/china-statistics.
Sources & references
79 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level