Population growth rate with and without migration in China

China: Population growth rate with and without migration was -0.236 in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
-0.236
Change on year
down 82.9%
World rank
195th
of 236 countries
All-time high
3.29
in 1963
All-time low
-0.236
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023

Population growth rate with and without migration in China, 1950–2023

0123195019862023

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2023, population growth rate with and without migration in China stood at -0.236. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 82.9% on the previous year and down 136.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, population growth rate with and without migration in China peaked at 3.29 in 1963 and was at its lowest, -0.236, in 2023.

That places China 195th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Population growth rate with and without migration in China, year by year

Annual values for Population growth rate with and without migration in China, 1950 to 2023.
Year Value Change
1950 1.78 —
1951 1.75 -1.7%
1952 2.31 +31.3%
1953 2.05 -11.2%
1954 2.25 +10.0%
1955 2.25 -0.1%
1956 2.02 -10.3%
1957 2.4 +19.0%
1958 1.95 -18.8%
1959 0.674 -65.5%
1960 -0.032 -104.7%
1961 0.329 -1128.1%
1962 2.47 +651.7%
1963 3.29 +33.0%
1964 2.55 -22.4%
1965 2.66 +4.4%
1966 2.52 -5.3%
1967 2.44 -3.4%
1968 2.75 +12.7%
1969 2.6 -5.4%
1970 2.61 +0.7%
1971 2.37 -9.3%
1972 2.23 -6.1%
1973 2.11 -5.3%
1974 1.87 -11.0%
1975 1.61 -14.1%
1976 1.48 -8.0%
1977 1.33 -9.9%
1978 1.32 -0.8%
1979 1.4 +6.1%
1980 1.44 +2.5%
1981 1.5 +4.2%
1982 1.65 +10.3%
1983 1.38 -16.6%
1984 1.47 +6.9%
1985 1.56 +5.8%
1986 1.7 +9.0%
1987 1.79 +5.5%
1988 1.65 -8.0%
1989 1.68 +2.1%
1990 1.74 +3.4%
1991 1.22 -29.8%
1992 1.12 -8.5%
1993 1.02 -8.8%
1994 0.924 -9.4%
1995 0.909 -1.6%
1996 0.856 -5.8%
1997 0.794 -7.2%
1998 0.764 -3.8%
1999 0.722 -5.5%
2000 0.765 +6.0%
2001 0.671 -12.3%
2002 0.599 -10.7%
2003 0.587 -2.0%
2004 0.581 -1.0%
2005 0.632 +8.8%
2006 0.589 -6.8%
2007 0.585 -0.7%
2008 0.62 +6.0%
2009 0.681 +9.8%
2010 0.661 -2.9%
2011 0.62 -6.2%
2012 0.738 +19.0%
2013 0.643 -12.9%
2014 0.65 +1.1%
2015 0.526 -19.1%
2016 0.605 +15.0%
2017 0.575 -5.0%
2018 0.366 -36.3%
2019 0.269 -26.5%
2020 0.094 -65.1%
2021 -0.048 -151.1%
2022 -0.129 +168.8%
2023 -0.236 +82.9%

China compared with similar countries

  • China's -0.236 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.5505. (58 countries reporting)
  • China's -0.236 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.69. (37 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Population growth rate with and without migration 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.

YearChange FromTo
1961 +1128.1% -0.032 0.329
1962 +651.7% 0.329 2.47
2022 -168.8% -0.048 -0.129
2021 -151.1% 0.094 -0.048
1960 -104.7% 0.674 -0.032
2023 -82.9% -0.129 -0.236

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 1.94 0.674 2.4 10
1960s 2.16 -0.032 3.29 10
1970s 1.83 1.32 2.61 10
1980s 1.58 1.38 1.79 10
1990s 1.01 0.722 1.74 10
2000s 0.631 0.581 0.765 10
2010s 0.5653 0.269 0.738 10
2020s -0.0798 -0.236 0.094 4

Countries ranked near China

  1. 192 Mauritius -0.168 compare
  2. 193 Italy -0.216 compare
  3. 194 Palau -0.231 compare
  4. 196 Hong Kong -0.259 compare
  5. 197 Azerbaijan -0.26 compare
  6. 198 Poland -0.264 compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More population data for China

All data for China →

Frequently asked questions

What is population growth rate with and without migration in China?
Population growth rate with and without migration in China was -0.236 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest population growth rate with and without migration recorded in China?
The highest recorded value was 3.29 in 1963.
What is the lowest population growth rate with and without migration recorded in China?
The lowest recorded value was -0.236 in 2023.
How does China rank for population growth rate with and without migration?
China ranks 195th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
Is population growth rate with and without migration rising or falling in China?
Over the last ten years it is down 136.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this China data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Population growth rate with and without migration. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Population growth rate with and without migration in China. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 11 November 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/population-growth-rate-with-and-without-migration/china/

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About this data

Indicator
Population growth rate with and without migration
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 17,464 data points, 1950–2023
Last refreshed