Share of population living in the capital city in China
China: Share of population living in the capital city was 1.2% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in the capital city in China, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of population living in the capital city in China stood at 1.2%. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
The figure is up 9.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in the capital city in China peaked at 1.2% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.4%, in 1950.
That places China 165th out of 170 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in the capital city in China, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 0.4% | — |
| 1955 | 0.5% | +15.7% |
| 1960 | 0.6% | +29.8% |
| 1965 | 0.6% | +2.2% |
| 1970 | 0.6% | -10.2% |
| 1975 | 0.6% | -2.1% |
| 1980 | 0.6% | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 0.6% | +0.1% |
| 1990 | 0.6% | +1.3% |
| 1995 | 0.7% | +13.9% |
| 2000 | 0.8% | +16.2% |
| 2005 | 0.9% | +18.0% |
| 2010 | 1.1% | +18.4% |
| 2015 | 1.1% | +4.2% |
| 2020 | 1.2% | +4.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 2 |
| 1960s | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.6% | 2 |
| 1970s | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.6% | 2 |
| 1980s | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.6% | 2 |
| 1990s | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.7% | 2 |
| 2000s | 0.8% | 0.8% | 0.9% | 2 |
| 2010s | 1.1% | 1.1% | 1.1% | 2 |
| 2020s | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1 |
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 share of population living in the capital city in China?
- Share of population living in the capital city in China was 1.2% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in the capital city recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 1.2% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of population living in the capital city recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.4% in 1950.
- How does China rank for share of population living in the capital city?
- China ranks 165th out of 170 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in the capital city rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in the capital city. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Percentage of the total population living in the country's capital city. City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.