Population by age group in China
China: Population by age group was 58.04 million people in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
58.04 million people
Change on year
down 11.5%
World rank
2nd
of 236 countries
All-time high
138.24 million people
in 1972
All-time low
58.04 million people
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Population by age group in China, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population by age group in China is 58.04 million people, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
The figure is down 11.5% on the previous year and down 35.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population by age group in China peaked at 138.24 million people in 1972 and was at its lowest, 58.04 million people, 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.
Population by age group in China, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 77.98 million people | — |
| 1951 | 83.18 million people | +6.7% |
| 1952 | 88.98 million people | +7.0% |
| 1953 | 94.75 million people | +6.5% |
| 1954 | 99.58 million people | +5.1% |
| 1955 | 103.78 million people | +4.2% |
| 1956 | 106.48 million people | +2.6% |
| 1957 | 108.51 million people | +1.9% |
| 1958 | 109.68 million people | +1.1% |
| 1959 | 106.52 million people | -2.9% |
| 1960 | 98.53 million people | -7.5% |
| 1961 | 90.01 million people | -8.6% |
| 1962 | 87.26 million people | -3.1% |
| 1963 | 93.86 million people | +7.6% |
| 1964 | 104.86 million people | +11.7% |
| 1965 | 116.11 million people | +10.7% |
| 1966 | 127.63 million people | +9.9% |
| 1967 | 133.89 million people | +4.9% |
| 1968 | 133.94 million people | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 134.17 million people | +0.2% |
| 1970 | 135.74 million people | +1.2% |
| 1971 | 137.09 million people | +1.0% |
| 1972 | 138.24 million people | +0.8% |
| 1973 | 137.40 million people | -0.6% |
| 1974 | 133.66 million people | -2.7% |
| 1975 | 127.88 million people | -4.3% |
| 1976 | 120.96 million people | -5.4% |
| 1977 | 114.03 million people | -5.7% |
| 1978 | 107.21 million people | -6.0% |
| 1979 | 102.14 million people | -4.7% |
| 1980 | 99.80 million people | -2.3% |
| 1981 | 99.70 million people | -0.1% |
| 1982 | 102.12 million people | +2.4% |
| 1983 | 104.91 million people | +2.7% |
| 1984 | 106.58 million people | +1.6% |
| 1985 | 108.75 million people | +2.0% |
| 1986 | 111.75 million people | +2.8% |
| 1987 | 115.10 million people | +3.0% |
| 1988 | 118.96 million people | +3.4% |
| 1989 | 123.32 million people | +3.7% |
| 1990 | 127.30 million people | +3.2% |
| 1991 | 127.57 million people | +0.2% |
| 1992 | 122.85 million people | -3.7% |
| 1993 | 116.83 million people | -4.9% |
| 1994 | 110.23 million people | -5.6% |
| 1995 | 102.32 million people | -7.2% |
| 1996 | 96.04 million people | -6.1% |
| 1997 | 92.47 million people | -3.7% |
| 1998 | 89.55 million people | -3.2% |
| 1999 | 86.98 million people | -2.9% |
| 2000 | 85.18 million people | -2.1% |
| 2001 | 83.82 million people | -1.6% |
| 2002 | 82.51 million people | -1.6% |
| 2003 | 81.54 million people | -1.2% |
| 2004 | 81.02 million people | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 80.52 million people | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 80.36 million people | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 81.03 million people | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 82.29 million people | +1.5% |
| 2009 | 83.93 million people | +2.0% |
| 2010 | 85.50 million people | +1.9% |
| 2011 | 86.74 million people | +1.5% |
| 2012 | 88.36 million people | +1.9% |
| 2013 | 89.77 million people | +1.6% |
| 2014 | 90.52 million people | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 90.75 million people | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 90.87 million people | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 90.72 million people | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 88.84 million people | -2.1% |
| 2019 | 85.37 million people | -3.9% |
| 2020 | 80.54 million people | -5.7% |
| 2021 | 73.86 million people | -8.3% |
| 2022 | 65.61 million people | -11.2% |
| 2023 | 58.04 million people | -11.5% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 58.04 million people is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 447,677 people, 129.7× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- China's 58.04 million people is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 156,933 people, 369.9× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 97.94 million people | 77.98 million people | 109.68 million people | 10 |
| 1960s | 112.03 million people | 87.26 million people | 134.17 million people | 10 |
| 1970s | 125.44 million people | 102.14 million people | 138.24 million people | 10 |
| 1980s | 109.10 million people | 99.70 million people | 123.32 million people | 10 |
| 1990s | 107.21 million people | 86.98 million people | 127.57 million people | 10 |
| 2000s | 82.22 million people | 80.36 million people | 85.18 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 88.74 million people | 85.37 million people | 90.87 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 69.51 million people | 58.04 million people | 80.54 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 population by age group in China?
- Population by age group in China was 58.04 million people in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest population by age group recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 138.24 million people in 1972.
- What is the lowest population by age group recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 58.04 million people in 2023.
- How does China rank for population by age group?
- China ranks 2nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is population by age group rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 35.3%. 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 Population by age group. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Total population, measured on 1 July of the year shown. This only includes people aged 0-4.