Annual number of births by world region in China

China: Annual number of births by world region was 8.90 million in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
8.90 million
Change on year
down 5.9%
World rank
2nd
of 236 countries
All-time high
33.46 million
in 1963
All-time low
8.90 million
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023

Annual number of births by world region in China, 1950–2023

10.0M15.0M20.0M25.0M30.0M35.0M195019862023

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

China recorded 8.90 million for annual 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, annual number of births by world region in China peaked at 33.46 million in 1963 and was at its lowest, 8.90 million, 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.

Annual number of births by world region in China, year by year

Annual values for Annual number of births by world region in China, 1950 to 2023.
Year Value Change
1950 22.29 million —
1951 22.14 million -0.7%
1952 25.50 million +15.1%
1953 24.14 million -5.3%
1954 25.44 million +5.4%
1955 25.73 million +1.1%
1956 24.36 million -5.3%
1957 27.07 million +11.1%
1958 24.28 million -10.3%
1959 20.31 million -16.4%
1960 19.31 million -4.9%
1961 16.88 million -12.6%
1962 26.83 million +58.9%
1963 33.46 million +24.7%
1964 30.07 million -10.1%
1965 30.06 million -0.0%
1966 29.21 million -2.8%
1967 27.47 million -5.9%
1968 31.65 million +15.2%
1969 30.91 million -2.3%
1970 31.46 million +1.8%
1971 29.67 million -5.7%
1972 28.60 million -3.6%
1973 27.64 million -3.4%
1974 25.59 million -7.4%
1975 23.10 million -9.7%
1976 22.01 million -4.7%
1977 20.32 million -7.7%
1978 20.25 million -0.4%
1979 21.15 million +4.5%
1980 21.67 million +2.5%
1981 22.49 million +3.8%
1982 24.35 million +8.3%
1983 21.68 million -11.0%
1984 22.91 million +5.7%
1985 24.14 million +5.4%
1986 26.04 million +7.9%
1987 27.56 million +5.8%
1988 26.44 million -4.0%
1989 27.23 million +3.0%
1990 28.08 million +3.1%
1991 22.65 million -19.4%
1992 21.07 million -7.0%
1993 20.20 million -4.1%
1994 19.53 million -3.3%
1995 19.00 million -2.7%
1996 18.31 million -3.7%
1997 17.68 million -3.4%
1998 17.19 million -2.8%
1999 16.86 million -1.9%
2000 17.55 million +4.1%
2001 16.59 million -5.5%
2002 16.38 million -1.2%
2003 16.22 million -1.0%
2004 16.46 million +1.5%
2005 16.60 million +0.9%
2006 16.87 million +1.6%
2007 17.20 million +2.0%
2008 17.71 million +3.0%
2009 18.03 million +1.8%
2010 17.91 million -0.7%
2011 17.82 million -0.5%
2012 19.25 million +8.0%
2013 18.30 million -4.9%
2014 18.77 million +2.6%
2015 17.52 million -6.7%
2016 18.33 million +4.6%
2017 18.26 million -0.4%
2018 15.36 million -15.9%
2019 14.62 million -4.8%
2020 11.84 million -19.0%
2021 10.46 million -11.7%
2022 9.46 million -9.6%
2023 8.90 million -5.9%

China compared with similar countries

  • China's 8.90 million is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 82,342, 108.1× the median. (58 countries reporting)
  • China's 8.90 million is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 30,561, 291.2× the median. (37 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Annual number of births by world region in China changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
1962 +58.9% 16.88 million 26.83 million

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 24.13 million 20.31 million 27.07 million 10
1960s 27.59 million 16.88 million 33.46 million 10
1970s 24.98 million 20.25 million 31.46 million 10
1980s 24.45 million 21.67 million 27.56 million 10
1990s 20.06 million 16.86 million 28.08 million 10
2000s 16.96 million 16.22 million 18.03 million 10
2010s 17.61 million 14.62 million 19.25 million 10
2020s 10.16 million 8.90 million 11.84 million 4

Countries ranked near China

  1. 1 India 23.22 million compare
  2. 3 Nigeria 7.51 million compare
  3. 4 Pakistan 6.88 million compare
  4. 5 Indonesia 4.48 million compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More population data for China

All data for China →

Frequently asked questions

What is annual number of births by world region in China?
Annual number of births by world region in China was 8.90 million in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest annual number of births by world region recorded in China?
The highest recorded value was 33.46 million in 1963.
What is the lowest annual number of births by world region recorded in China?
The lowest recorded value was 8.90 million in 2023.
How does China rank for annual number of births by world region?
China ranks 2nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
Is annual 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 Our World in Data, published as part of Annual number of births by world region. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Annual number of births by world region in China. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 11 November 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/annual-number-of-births-by-world-region/china/

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About this data

Indicator
Annual number of births by world region
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 17,464 data points, 1950–2023
Last refreshed