Annual change in population in China
China: Annual change in population was -2.59 million people in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
-2.59 million people
Change on year
down 106.3%
World rank
235th
of 236 countries
All-time high
21.17 million people
in 1970
All-time low
-2.59 million people
in 2023
Years of data
73
1951–2023
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.
Annual change in population in China, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | 9.71 million people | — |
| 1952 | 11.37 million people | +17.1% |
| 1953 | 12.43 million people | +9.3% |
| 1954 | 12.56 million people | +1.1% |
| 1955 | 13.43 million people | +7.0% |
| 1956 | 13.01 million people | -3.1% |
| 1957 | 13.80 million people | +6.0% |
| 1958 | 13.86 million people | +0.5% |
| 1959 | 8.49 million people | -38.8% |
| 1960 | 2.09 million people | -75.3% |
| 1961 | 971,416 people | -53.6% |
| 1962 | 9.30 million people | +857.4% |
| 1963 | 19.48 million people | +109.4% |
| 1964 | 20.25 million people | +3.9% |
| 1965 | 18.62 million people | -8.0% |
| 1966 | 18.99 million people | +2.0% |
| 1967 | 18.62 million people | -1.9% |
| 1968 | 19.98 million people | +7.3% |
| 1969 | 21.13 million people | +5.7% |
| 1970 | 21.17 million people | +0.2% |
| 1971 | 20.76 million people | -1.9% |
| 1972 | 19.61 million people | -5.6% |
| 1973 | 18.90 million people | -3.6% |
| 1974 | 17.73 million people | -6.2% |
| 1975 | 15.81 million people | -10.8% |
| 1976 | 14.26 million people | -9.8% |
| 1977 | 13.17 million people | -7.6% |
| 1978 | 12.62 million people | -4.2% |
| 1979 | 13.13 million people | +4.1% |
| 1980 | 13.88 million people | +5.7% |
| 1981 | 14.56 million people | +4.9% |
| 1982 | 15.87 million people | +9.0% |
| 1983 | 15.48 million people | -2.5% |
| 1984 | 14.78 million people | -4.5% |
| 1985 | 15.96 million people | +7.9% |
| 1986 | 17.43 million people | +9.2% |
| 1987 | 18.98 million people | +8.9% |
| 1988 | 19.03 million people | +0.2% |
| 1989 | 18.75 million people | -1.5% |
| 1990 | 19.59 million people | +4.5% |
| 1991 | 17.21 million people | -12.2% |
| 1992 | 13.79 million people | -19.9% |
| 1993 | 12.73 million people | -7.6% |
| 1994 | 11.69 million people | -8.2% |
| 1995 | 11.13 million people | -4.8% |
| 1996 | 10.81 million people | -2.9% |
| 1997 | 10.19 million people | -5.7% |
| 1998 | 9.71 million people | -4.8% |
| 1999 | 9.33 million people | -3.9% |
| 2000 | 9.40 million people | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 9.14 million people | -2.8% |
| 2002 | 8.14 million people | -11.0% |
| 2003 | 7.65 million people | -6.0% |
| 2004 | 7.58 million people | -0.9% |
| 2005 | 7.93 million people | +4.5% |
| 2006 | 8.03 million people | +1.3% |
| 2007 | 7.76 million people | -3.3% |
| 2008 | 8.01 million people | +3.2% |
| 2009 | 8.70 million people | +8.7% |
| 2010 | 9.04 million people | +3.9% |
| 2011 | 8.69 million people | -3.9% |
| 2012 | 9.27 million people | +6.7% |
| 2013 | 9.49 million people | +2.3% |
| 2014 | 8.94 million people | -5.7% |
| 2015 | 8.18 million people | -8.5% |
| 2016 | 7.92 million people | -3.2% |
| 2017 | 8.30 million people | +4.8% |
| 2018 | 6.65 million people | -19.8% |
| 2019 | 4.51 million people | -32.2% |
| 2020 | 2.59 million people | -42.7% |
| 2021 | 331,176 people | -87.2% |
| 2022 | -1.26 million people | -479.8% |
| 2023 | -2.59 million people | +106.3% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's -2.59 million people is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 28,200 people. (58 countries reporting)
- China's -2.59 million people is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3,585 people. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Annual change in population 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.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | +857.4% | 971,416 people | 9.30 million people |
| 2022 | -479.8% | 331,176 people | -1.26 million people |
| 1963 | +109.4% | 9.30 million people | 19.48 million people |
| 2023 | -106.3% | -1.26 million people | -2.59 million people |
| 2021 | -87.2% | 2.59 million people | 331,176 people |
| 1960 | -75.3% | 8.49 million people | 2.09 million people |
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 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 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.