Number of births per year in China
China: Number of births per year 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
Number of births per year in China, 1950–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
China recorded 8.90 million for number of births per year 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 per year in China peaked at 33.46 million in 1963 and was at its lowest, 8.90 million, in 2023.
China ranks 2nd of 236 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Number of births per year in China, year by year
| 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 Number of births per year 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 | +58.9% | 16.88 million | 26.83 million |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
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)
- Population growth rate -1.68 (2100)
- Population density 67.46 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 15.54 million (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of births per year in China?
- Number of births per year in China was 8.90 million in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of births per year recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 33.46 million in 1963.
- What is the lowest number of births per year recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.90 million in 2023.
- How does China rank for number of births per year?
- China ranks 2nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is number of births per year 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 Number of births per year. 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).