China vs (UN M49): Urban and rural population

China
939.48 million
in 2025
(UN M49)
366,165
in 2025
China rank
1st
(UN M49) rank
1st

Urban and rural population over time

  • China
  • (UN M49)
0200.0M400.0M600.0M800.0M1.0B195019872025

How they compare

China currently reports 939.48 million against 366,165 in (UN M49), a difference of 939.11 million.

That makes China's figure about 2,565.7 times (UN M49)'s.

Across all 76 years both countries report, China has been ahead every year.

China ranks 1st and (UN M49) ranks 1st of 236 countries.

China has averaged higher in every one of the 8 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade China (UN M49) Difference Ahead
1950s 84.56 million 53,458 84.51 million China
1960s 129.10 million 115,623 128.98 million China
1970s 158.49 million 162,949 158.33 million China
1980s 244.11 million 222,418 243.88 million China
1990s 360.37 million 293,709 360.08 million China
2000s 554.74 million 339,141 554.40 million China
2010s 786.56 million 348,060 786.21 million China
2020s 927.59 million 360,046 927.23 million China

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher urban and rural population, China or (UN M49)?
China, at 939.48 million against 366,165 in (UN M49) as of 2025.
What is the difference in urban and rural population between China and (UN M49)?
939.11 million, with China ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for China and (UN M49)?
76 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2025.
How do China and (UN M49) rank globally for urban and rural population?
China ranks 1st and (UN M49) ranks 1st of 236 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Our World in Data, published as Urban and rural population. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Urban and rural population
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
237 places, 18,012 data points, 1950–2025
Last refreshed