Birth rate in China
China: Birth rate was 6.26 births per 1,000 people in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
6.26 births per 1,000 people
Change on year
down 5.7%
World rank
226th
of 236 countries
All-time high
48.88 births per 1,000 people
in 1963
All-time low
6.26 births per 1,000 people
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Birth rate in China, 1950–2023
Source: Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in births per 1,000 people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for birth rate in China is 6.26 births per 1,000 people, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 5.7% on the previous year and down 52.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, birth rate in China peaked at 48.88 births per 1,000 people in 1963 and was at its lowest, 6.26 births per 1,000 people, in 2023.
China ranks 226th of 236 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Birth rate in China, year by year
| Year | births per 1,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 40.98 births per 1,000 people | — |
| 1951 | 39.99 births per 1,000 people | -2.4% |
| 1952 | 45.12 births per 1,000 people | +12.8% |
| 1953 | 41.8 births per 1,000 people | -7.4% |
| 1954 | 43.11 births per 1,000 people | +3.1% |
| 1955 | 42.63 births per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
| 1956 | 39.52 births per 1,000 people | -7.3% |
| 1957 | 42.94 births per 1,000 people | +8.7% |
| 1958 | 37.7 births per 1,000 people | -12.2% |
| 1959 | 31.12 births per 1,000 people | -17.5% |
| 1960 | 29.49 births per 1,000 people | -5.2% |
| 1961 | 25.74 births per 1,000 people | -12.7% |
| 1962 | 40.34 births per 1,000 people | +56.7% |
| 1963 | 48.88 births per 1,000 people | +21.2% |
| 1964 | 42.67 births per 1,000 people | -12.7% |
| 1965 | 41.56 births per 1,000 people | -2.6% |
| 1966 | 39.34 births per 1,000 people | -5.3% |
| 1967 | 36.1 births per 1,000 people | -8.2% |
| 1968 | 40.52 births per 1,000 people | +12.3% |
| 1969 | 38.54 births per 1,000 people | -4.9% |
| 1970 | 38.21 births per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
| 1971 | 35.15 births per 1,000 people | -8.0% |
| 1972 | 33.11 births per 1,000 people | -5.8% |
| 1973 | 31.31 births per 1,000 people | -5.4% |
| 1974 | 28.43 births per 1,000 people | -9.2% |
| 1975 | 25.21 births per 1,000 people | -11.3% |
| 1976 | 23.66 births per 1,000 people | -6.2% |
| 1977 | 21.54 births per 1,000 people | -9.0% |
| 1978 | 21.18 births per 1,000 people | -1.7% |
| 1979 | 21.82 births per 1,000 people | +3.0% |
| 1980 | 22.05 births per 1,000 people | +1.0% |
| 1981 | 22.54 births per 1,000 people | +2.2% |
| 1982 | 24.03 births per 1,000 people | +6.6% |
| 1983 | 21.07 births per 1,000 people | -12.3% |
| 1984 | 21.95 births per 1,000 people | +4.2% |
| 1985 | 22.77 births per 1,000 people | +3.8% |
| 1986 | 24.18 births per 1,000 people | +6.2% |
| 1987 | 25.14 births per 1,000 people | +4.0% |
| 1988 | 23.71 births per 1,000 people | -5.7% |
| 1989 | 24.02 births per 1,000 people | +1.3% |
| 1990 | 24.34 births per 1,000 people | +1.4% |
| 1991 | 19.34 births per 1,000 people | -20.5% |
| 1992 | 17.78 births per 1,000 people | -8.1% |
| 1993 | 16.87 births per 1,000 people | -5.1% |
| 1994 | 16.15 births per 1,000 people | -4.3% |
| 1995 | 15.57 births per 1,000 people | -3.6% |
| 1996 | 14.87 births per 1,000 people | -4.5% |
| 1997 | 14.24 births per 1,000 people | -4.2% |
| 1998 | 13.74 births per 1,000 people | -3.5% |
| 1999 | 13.38 births per 1,000 people | -2.6% |
| 2000 | 13.82 births per 1,000 people | +3.3% |
| 2001 | 12.97 births per 1,000 people | -6.2% |
| 2002 | 12.73 births per 1,000 people | -1.9% |
| 2003 | 12.53 births per 1,000 people | -1.6% |
| 2004 | 12.64 births per 1,000 people | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 12.67 births per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 12.8 births per 1,000 people | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 12.97 births per 1,000 people | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 13.28 births per 1,000 people | +2.4% |
| 2009 | 13.43 births per 1,000 people | +1.1% |
| 2010 | 13.25 births per 1,000 people | -1.3% |
| 2011 | 13.1 births per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
| 2012 | 14.05 births per 1,000 people | +7.2% |
| 2013 | 13.27 births per 1,000 people | -5.6% |
| 2014 | 13.52 births per 1,000 people | +1.9% |
| 2015 | 12.55 births per 1,000 people | -7.2% |
| 2016 | 13.05 births per 1,000 people | +4.0% |
| 2017 | 12.93 births per 1,000 people | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 10.82 births per 1,000 people | -16.3% |
| 2019 | 10.27 births per 1,000 people | -5.1% |
| 2020 | 8.3 births per 1,000 people | -19.1% |
| 2021 | 7.33 births per 1,000 people | -11.7% |
| 2022 | 6.63 births per 1,000 people | -9.5% |
| 2023 | 6.26 births per 1,000 people | -5.7% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 6.26 births per 1,000 people is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 13.97 births per 1,000 people, 45% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- China's 6.26 births per 1,000 people is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 15.94 births per 1,000 people, 39% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Birth rate 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 | +56.7% | 25.74 births per 1,000 people | 40.34 births per 1,000 people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 40.49 births per 1,000 people | 31.12 births per 1,000 people | 45.12 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1960s | 38.32 births per 1,000 people | 25.74 births per 1,000 people | 48.88 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 27.96 births per 1,000 people | 21.18 births per 1,000 people | 38.21 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 23.14 births per 1,000 people | 21.07 births per 1,000 people | 25.14 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 16.63 births per 1,000 people | 13.38 births per 1,000 people | 24.34 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 12.99 births per 1,000 people | 12.53 births per 1,000 people | 13.82 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.68 births per 1,000 people | 10.27 births per 1,000 people | 14.05 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.13 births per 1,000 people | 6.26 births per 1,000 people | 8.3 births per 1,000 people | 4 |
Countries ranked near China
More population data for China
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -1.19 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population long run 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 regions with projections, annual growth rate -1.66 % change on previous year (2100)
- 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)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.3489 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population -0.1671 Percent per annum (2030)
Frequently asked questions
- What is birth rate in China?
- Birth rate in China was 6.26 births per 1,000 people in 2023, according to Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest birth rate recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 48.88 births per 1,000 people in 1963.
- What is the lowest birth rate recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.26 births per 1,000 people in 2023.
- How does China rank for birth rate?
- China ranks 226th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is birth rate rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 52.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Birth rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total number of births per 1,000 people in a given year.