Number of births, by world region in China
China: Number of births, by world region was 8.90 million births in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
8.90 million births
Change on year
down 5.9%
World rank
2nd
of 236 countries
All-time high
33.46 million births
in 1963
All-time low
8.90 million births
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Number of births, by world region in China, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in births.
Analysis
China recorded 8.90 million births for number of births, by world region in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
The figure is down 5.9% on the previous year and down 51.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of births, by world region in China peaked at 33.46 million births in 1963 and was at its lowest, 8.90 million births, in 2023.
That places China 2nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Number of births, by world region in China, year by year
| Year | births | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 22.29 million births | — |
| 1951 | 22.14 million births | -0.7% |
| 1952 | 25.50 million births | +15.1% |
| 1953 | 24.14 million births | -5.3% |
| 1954 | 25.44 million births | +5.4% |
| 1955 | 25.73 million births | +1.1% |
| 1956 | 24.36 million births | -5.3% |
| 1957 | 27.07 million births | +11.1% |
| 1958 | 24.28 million births | -10.3% |
| 1959 | 20.31 million births | -16.4% |
| 1960 | 19.31 million births | -4.9% |
| 1961 | 16.88 million births | -12.6% |
| 1962 | 26.83 million births | +58.9% |
| 1963 | 33.46 million births | +24.7% |
| 1964 | 30.07 million births | -10.1% |
| 1965 | 30.06 million births | -0.0% |
| 1966 | 29.21 million births | -2.8% |
| 1967 | 27.47 million births | -5.9% |
| 1968 | 31.65 million births | +15.2% |
| 1969 | 30.91 million births | -2.3% |
| 1970 | 31.46 million births | +1.8% |
| 1971 | 29.67 million births | -5.7% |
| 1972 | 28.60 million births | -3.6% |
| 1973 | 27.64 million births | -3.4% |
| 1974 | 25.59 million births | -7.4% |
| 1975 | 23.10 million births | -9.7% |
| 1976 | 22.01 million births | -4.7% |
| 1977 | 20.32 million births | -7.7% |
| 1978 | 20.25 million births | -0.4% |
| 1979 | 21.15 million births | +4.5% |
| 1980 | 21.67 million births | +2.5% |
| 1981 | 22.49 million births | +3.8% |
| 1982 | 24.35 million births | +8.3% |
| 1983 | 21.68 million births | -11.0% |
| 1984 | 22.91 million births | +5.7% |
| 1985 | 24.14 million births | +5.4% |
| 1986 | 26.04 million births | +7.9% |
| 1987 | 27.56 million births | +5.8% |
| 1988 | 26.44 million births | -4.0% |
| 1989 | 27.23 million births | +3.0% |
| 1990 | 28.08 million births | +3.1% |
| 1991 | 22.65 million births | -19.4% |
| 1992 | 21.07 million births | -7.0% |
| 1993 | 20.20 million births | -4.1% |
| 1994 | 19.53 million births | -3.3% |
| 1995 | 19.00 million births | -2.7% |
| 1996 | 18.31 million births | -3.7% |
| 1997 | 17.68 million births | -3.4% |
| 1998 | 17.19 million births | -2.8% |
| 1999 | 16.86 million births | -1.9% |
| 2000 | 17.55 million births | +4.1% |
| 2001 | 16.59 million births | -5.5% |
| 2002 | 16.38 million births | -1.2% |
| 2003 | 16.22 million births | -1.0% |
| 2004 | 16.46 million births | +1.5% |
| 2005 | 16.60 million births | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 16.87 million births | +1.6% |
| 2007 | 17.20 million births | +2.0% |
| 2008 | 17.71 million births | +3.0% |
| 2009 | 18.03 million births | +1.8% |
| 2010 | 17.91 million births | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 17.82 million births | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 19.25 million births | +8.0% |
| 2013 | 18.30 million births | -4.9% |
| 2014 | 18.77 million births | +2.6% |
| 2015 | 17.52 million births | -6.7% |
| 2016 | 18.33 million births | +4.6% |
| 2017 | 18.26 million births | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 15.36 million births | -15.9% |
| 2019 | 14.62 million births | -4.8% |
| 2020 | 11.84 million births | -19.0% |
| 2021 | 10.46 million births | -11.7% |
| 2022 | 9.46 million births | -9.6% |
| 2023 | 8.90 million births | -5.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 24.13 million births | 20.31 million births | 27.07 million births | 10 |
| 1960s | 27.59 million births | 16.88 million births | 33.46 million births | 10 |
| 1970s | 24.98 million births | 20.25 million births | 31.46 million births | 10 |
| 1980s | 24.45 million births | 21.67 million births | 27.56 million births | 10 |
| 1990s | 20.06 million births | 16.86 million births | 28.08 million births | 10 |
| 2000s | 16.96 million births | 16.22 million births | 18.03 million births | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.61 million births | 14.62 million births | 19.25 million births | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.16 million births | 8.90 million births | 11.84 million births | 4 |
Countries ranked near China
More population data for China
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -1.66 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -12.97 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -1.66 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -1.19 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 1.31 million Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population -0.1671 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.3489 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth -1.7% (2100)
- Population density 67.46 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 15.54 million people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of births, by world region in China?
- Number of births, by world region in China was 8.90 million births in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of births, by world region recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 33.46 million births in 1963.
- What is the lowest number of births, by world region recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.90 million births in 2023.
- How does China rank for number of births, by world region?
- China ranks 2nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is number of births, by world region rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 51.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of births, by world region. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Number of live births in a calendar year.