World population growth in China
China: World population growth was -1.7% in 2100. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2100)
-1.7%
Change on year
down 0.8%
World rank
235th
of 239 countries
All-time high
3.3%
in 1963
All-time low
-1.7%
in 2100
Years of data
163
1700–2100
World population growth in China, 1700–2100
Source: HYDE (2023); Gapminder (2022); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for world population growth in China is -1.7%, measured in 2100. That is the lowest value across all 163 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.8% on the previous year and down 5.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, world population growth in China peaked at 3.3% in 1963 and was at its lowest, -1.7%, in 2100.
That places China 235th out of 239 countries with data for 2100, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
World population growth in China, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1700 | 0.0% | — |
| 1800 | 0.6% | +4450.2% |
| 1900 | 0.5% | -19.5% |
| 1905 | 0.5% | +5.4% |
| 1910 | 0.8% | +40.4% |
| 1915 | 1.1% | +42.3% |
| 1920 | 0.8% | -26.0% |
| 1925 | 0.4% | -55.5% |
| 1930 | 0.4% | +27.0% |
| 1935 | 0.6% | +31.5% |
| 1940 | 0.6% | -4.4% |
| 1945 | 0.5% | -6.8% |
| 1950 | 1.8% | +239.0% |
| 1951 | 1.8% | -1.7% |
| 1952 | 2.3% | +31.3% |
| 1953 | 2.0% | -11.2% |
| 1954 | 2.3% | +10.0% |
| 1955 | 2.2% | -0.1% |
| 1956 | 2.0% | -10.3% |
| 1957 | 2.4% | +19.0% |
| 1958 | 2.0% | -18.8% |
| 1959 | 0.7% | -65.5% |
| 1960 | -0.0% | -104.7% |
| 1961 | 0.3% | -1128.1% |
| 1962 | 2.5% | +651.7% |
| 1963 | 3.3% | +33.0% |
| 1964 | 2.6% | -22.4% |
| 1965 | 2.7% | +4.4% |
| 1966 | 2.5% | -5.3% |
| 1967 | 2.4% | -3.4% |
| 1968 | 2.7% | +12.7% |
| 1969 | 2.6% | -5.4% |
| 1970 | 2.6% | +0.7% |
| 1971 | 2.4% | -9.3% |
| 1972 | 2.2% | -6.1% |
| 1973 | 2.1% | -5.3% |
| 1974 | 1.9% | -11.0% |
| 1975 | 1.6% | -14.1% |
| 1976 | 1.5% | -8.0% |
| 1977 | 1.3% | -9.9% |
| 1978 | 1.3% | -0.8% |
| 1979 | 1.4% | +6.1% |
| 1980 | 1.4% | +2.5% |
| 1981 | 1.5% | +4.2% |
| 1982 | 1.7% | +10.3% |
| 1983 | 1.4% | -16.6% |
| 1984 | 1.5% | +6.9% |
| 1985 | 1.6% | +5.8% |
| 1986 | 1.7% | +9.0% |
| 1987 | 1.8% | +5.5% |
| 1988 | 1.6% | -8.0% |
| 1989 | 1.7% | +2.1% |
| 1990 | 1.7% | +3.4% |
| 1991 | 1.2% | -29.8% |
| 1992 | 1.1% | -8.5% |
| 1993 | 1.0% | -8.8% |
| 1994 | 0.9% | -9.4% |
| 1995 | 0.9% | -1.6% |
| 1996 | 0.9% | -5.8% |
| 1997 | 0.8% | -7.2% |
| 1998 | 0.8% | -3.8% |
| 1999 | 0.7% | -5.5% |
| 2000 | 0.8% | +6.0% |
| 2001 | 0.7% | -12.3% |
| 2002 | 0.6% | -10.7% |
| 2003 | 0.6% | -2.0% |
| 2004 | 0.6% | -1.0% |
| 2005 | 0.6% | +8.8% |
| 2006 | 0.6% | -6.8% |
| 2007 | 0.6% | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 0.6% | +6.0% |
| 2009 | 0.7% | +9.8% |
| 2010 | 0.7% | -2.9% |
| 2011 | 0.6% | -6.2% |
| 2012 | 0.7% | +19.0% |
| 2013 | 0.6% | -12.9% |
| 2014 | 0.7% | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 0.5% | -19.1% |
| 2016 | 0.6% | +15.0% |
| 2017 | 0.6% | -5.0% |
| 2018 | 0.4% | -36.3% |
| 2019 | 0.3% | -26.5% |
| 2020 | 0.1% | -65.1% |
| 2021 | -0.0% | -151.1% |
| 2022 | -0.1% | +168.8% |
| 2023 | -0.2% | +82.9% |
| 2024 | -0.2% | -5.1% |
| 2025 | -0.2% | +3.1% |
| 2026 | -0.2% | -5.2% |
| 2027 | -0.2% | +9.6% |
| 2028 | -0.3% | +9.6% |
| 2029 | -0.3% | +8.4% |
| 2030 | -0.3% | +6.7% |
| 2031 | -0.3% | +7.6% |
| 2032 | -0.3% | +6.1% |
| 2033 | -0.4% | +6.3% |
| 2034 | -0.4% | +4.9% |
| 2035 | -0.4% | +4.7% |
| 2036 | -0.4% | +4.7% |
| 2037 | -0.4% | +4.2% |
| 2038 | -0.5% | +3.4% |
| 2039 | -0.5% | +4.8% |
| 2040 | -0.5% | +4.2% |
| 2041 | -0.5% | +4.4% |
| 2042 | -0.5% | +4.0% |
| 2043 | -0.6% | +3.7% |
| 2044 | -0.6% | +4.4% |
| 2045 | -0.6% | +5.5% |
| 2046 | -0.7% | +5.8% |
| 2047 | -0.7% | +5.3% |
| 2048 | -0.7% | +6.1% |
| 2049 | -0.8% | +6.0% |
| 2050 | -0.8% | +5.5% |
| 2051 | -0.9% | +6.2% |
| 2052 | -0.9% | +5.9% |
| 2053 | -1.0% | +4.9% |
| 2054 | -1.0% | +4.9% |
| 2055 | -1.1% | +4.4% |
| 2056 | -1.1% | +4.0% |
| 2057 | -1.1% | +3.3% |
| 2058 | -1.2% | +3.2% |
| 2059 | -1.2% | +2.6% |
| 2060 | -1.2% | +2.2% |
| 2061 | -1.2% | +1.5% |
| 2062 | -1.3% | +1.3% |
| 2063 | -1.3% | +0.7% |
| 2064 | -1.3% | +0.9% |
| 2065 | -1.3% | +0.2% |
| 2066 | -1.3% | +0.4% |
| 2067 | -1.3% | +0.3% |
| 2068 | -1.3% | +0.1% |
| 2069 | -1.3% | +0.4% |
| 2070 | -1.3% | +0.2% |
| 2071 | -1.3% | +0.6% |
| 2072 | -1.3% | +0.8% |
| 2073 | -1.3% | +1.0% |
| 2074 | -1.3% | +1.0% |
| 2075 | -1.4% | +1.4% |
| 2076 | -1.4% | +1.5% |
| 2077 | -1.4% | +1.6% |
| 2078 | -1.4% | +1.7% |
| 2079 | -1.5% | +1.9% |
| 2080 | -1.5% | +1.6% |
| 2081 | -1.5% | +1.5% |
| 2082 | -1.5% | +1.1% |
| 2083 | -1.5% | +1.2% |
| 2084 | -1.6% | +1.2% |
| 2085 | -1.6% | +0.5% |
| 2086 | -1.6% | +0.3% |
| 2087 | -1.6% | +0.4% |
| 2088 | -1.6% | +0.3% |
| 2089 | -1.6% | +0.1% |
| 2090 | -1.6% | -0.1% |
| 2091 | -1.6% | +0.1% |
| 2092 | -1.6% | +0.4% |
| 2093 | -1.6% | +0.4% |
| 2094 | -1.6% | +0.4% |
| 2095 | -1.6% | +0.6% |
| 2096 | -1.6% | +0.7% |
| 2097 | -1.6% | +0.7% |
| 2098 | -1.7% | +0.8% |
| 2099 | -1.7% | +0.8% |
| 2100 | -1.7% | +0.8% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's -1.7% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is -0.6%, 2.9× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- China's -1.7% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is -0.3%, 5.3× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where World population growth 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1800 | +4450.2% | 0.0% | 0.6% |
| 1961 | +1128.1% | -0.0% | 0.3% |
| 1962 | +651.7% | 0.3% | 2.5% |
| 1950 | +239.0% | 0.5% | 1.8% |
| 2022 | -168.8% | -0.0% | -0.1% |
| 2021 | -151.1% | 0.1% | -0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1700s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 |
| 1800s | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.6% | 1 |
| 1900s | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.5% | 2 |
| 1910s | 0.9% | 0.8% | 1.1% | 2 |
| 1920s | 0.6% | 0.4% | 0.8% | 2 |
| 1930s | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.6% | 2 |
| 1940s | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.6% | 2 |
| 1950s | 1.9% | 0.7% | 2.4% | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.2% | -0.0% | 3.3% | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.8% | 1.3% | 2.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.6% | 1.4% | 1.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.0% | 0.7% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.6% | 0.3% | 0.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | -0.2% | -0.3% | 0.1% | 10 |
| 2030s | -0.4% | -0.5% | -0.3% | 10 |
| 2040s | -0.6% | -0.8% | -0.5% | 10 |
| 2050s | -1.0% | -1.2% | -0.8% | 10 |
| 2060s | -1.3% | -1.3% | -1.2% | 10 |
| 2070s | -1.4% | -1.5% | -1.3% | 10 |
| 2080s | -1.6% | -1.6% | -1.5% | 10 |
| 2090s | -1.6% | -1.7% | -1.6% | 10 |
| 2100s | -1.7% | -1.7% | -1.7% | 1 |
Countries ranked near China
- 232 Mauritius -1.4% compare
- 233 South Korea -1.4% compare
- 234 Ukraine -1.6% compare
- 236 Jamaica -1.8% compare
- 237 Saint Pierre and Miquelon -1.9% compare
- 238 Puerto Rico -2.3% compare
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 density 67.46 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 15.54 million people (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development -1.7% (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is world population growth in China?
- World population growth in China was -1.7% in 2100, according to HYDE (2023); Gapminder (2022); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest world population growth recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 3.3% in 1963.
- What is the lowest world population growth recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was -1.7% in 2100.
- How does China rank for world population growth?
- China ranks 235th out of 239 countries with data for 2100.
- Is world population growth rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from HYDE (2023); Gapminder (2022); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of World population growth. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 163 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Average exponential rate of growth of the population over a given period. It is calculated as ln(P2/P1) where P1 and P2 are the populations on subsequent years. Available from 1700 to 2100, based on data and estimates from different sources.