Annual change in population in China
China: Annual change in population was -2.59 million people in 2023. ▼ Falling
Annual change in population in China, 1951–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
China recorded -2.59 million people for annual change in population in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 73 years on record.
That represents a change of down 106.3% on the previous year and down 127.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual change in population in China peaked at 21.17 million people in 1970 and was at its lowest, -2.59 million people, in 2023.
China ranks 235th of 236 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 73 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 12.07 million people | 8.49 million people | 13.86 million people | 9 |
| 1960s | 14.94 million people | 971,416 people | 21.13 million people | 10 |
| 1970s | 16.71 million people | 12.62 million people | 21.17 million people | 10 |
| 1980s | 16.47 million people | 13.88 million people | 19.03 million people | 10 |
| 1990s | 12.62 million people | 9.33 million people | 19.59 million people | 10 |
| 2000s | 8.23 million people | 7.58 million people | 9.40 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.10 million people | 4.51 million people | 9.49 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | -233,856 people | -2.59 million people | 2.59 million people | 4 |
Countries ranked near China
More population data for China
- Population growth rate, by level of development -1.7% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 15.54 million people (2100)
- Population density 67.46 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth -1.7% (2100)
- Total fertility rate vs. wanted fertility rate 1.01 births per woman (2024)
- Refugees by country of asylum 303,405 people (2020)
- Fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception 1.01 births per woman (2024)
- Total fertility rate vs. contraceptive prevalence 1.01 births per woman (2024)
- Natural population growth rate -0.2% (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 0.999 live births per woman (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual change in population in China?
- Annual change in population in China was -2.59 million people in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual change in population recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 21.17 million people in 1970.
- What is the lowest annual change in population recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was -2.59 million people in 2023.
- How does China rank for annual change in population?
- China ranks 235th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is annual change in population rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 127.3%. 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 Annual change in population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 73 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual change in population, calculated as the difference between population on 1 July of consecutive years.