Share urban and rural population in China
China: Share urban and rural population was 66.34 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
66.34
Change on year
up 0.7%
World rank
115th
of 236 countries
All-time high
66.34
in 2025
All-time low
11.18
in 1950
Years of data
76
1950–2025
Share urban and rural population in China, 1950–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
China recorded 66.34 for share urban and rural population in 2025. That is the highest value across all 76 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.7% on the previous year and up 15.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share urban and rural population in China peaked at 66.34 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 11.18, in 1950.
China ranks 115th of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share urban and rural population in China, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 11.18 | — |
| 1951 | 11.78 | +5.4% |
| 1952 | 12.46 | +5.8% |
| 1953 | 13 | +4.3% |
| 1954 | 13.69 | +5.3% |
| 1955 | 13.48 | -1.5% |
| 1956 | 14.62 | +8.5% |
| 1957 | 15.39 | +5.3% |
| 1958 | 16.25 | +5.6% |
| 1959 | 18.41 | +13.3% |
| 1960 | 19.75 | +7.3% |
| 1961 | 19.29 | -2.3% |
| 1962 | 17.32 | -10.2% |
| 1963 | 16.84 | -2.8% |
| 1964 | 18.3 | +8.7% |
| 1965 | 17.98 | -1.7% |
| 1966 | 17.86 | -0.7% |
| 1967 | 17.74 | -0.7% |
| 1968 | 17.62 | -0.7% |
| 1969 | 17.5 | -0.7% |
| 1970 | 17.38 | -0.7% |
| 1971 | 17.26 | -0.7% |
| 1972 | 17.13 | -0.7% |
| 1973 | 17.2 | +0.4% |
| 1974 | 17.16 | -0.2% |
| 1975 | 17.34 | +1.1% |
| 1976 | 17.44 | +0.5% |
| 1977 | 17.55 | +0.7% |
| 1978 | 17.92 | +2.1% |
| 1979 | 18.96 | +5.8% |
| 1980 | 19.39 | +2.3% |
| 1981 | 20.16 | +3.9% |
| 1982 | 20.57 | +2.0% |
| 1983 | 21.62 | +5.1% |
| 1984 | 23.01 | +6.4% |
| 1985 | 23.71 | +3.0% |
| 1986 | 24.52 | +3.5% |
| 1987 | 25.32 | +3.2% |
| 1988 | 25.81 | +2.0% |
| 1989 | 26.21 | +1.5% |
| 1990 | 26.2 | -0.1% |
| 1991 | 26.94 | +2.8% |
| 1992 | 27.46 | +1.9% |
| 1993 | 27.99 | +1.9% |
| 1994 | 28.51 | +1.9% |
| 1995 | 29.04 | +1.9% |
| 1996 | 30.48 | +5.0% |
| 1997 | 31.91 | +4.7% |
| 1998 | 33.35 | +4.5% |
| 1999 | 34.78 | +4.3% |
| 2000 | 36.43 | +4.8% |
| 2001 | 37.66 | +3.4% |
| 2002 | 39.09 | +3.8% |
| 2003 | 40.53 | +3.7% |
| 2004 | 41.76 | +3.0% |
| 2005 | 42.99 | +2.9% |
| 2006 | 44.34 | +3.1% |
| 2007 | 45.89 | +3.5% |
| 2008 | 46.99 | +2.4% |
| 2009 | 48.34 | +2.9% |
| 2010 | 49.23 | +1.8% |
| 2011 | 51.83 | +5.3% |
| 2012 | 53.1 | +2.5% |
| 2013 | 54.49 | +2.6% |
| 2014 | 55.75 | +2.3% |
| 2015 | 57.33 | +2.8% |
| 2016 | 58.84 | +2.6% |
| 2017 | 60.24 | +2.4% |
| 2018 | 61.5 | +2.1% |
| 2019 | 62.71 | +2.0% |
| 2020 | 63.52 | +1.3% |
| 2021 | 64.72 | +1.9% |
| 2022 | 65.22 | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 65.53 | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 65.89 | +0.6% |
| 2025 | 66.34 | +0.7% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 66.34 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 65.53, 1.0× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- China's 66.34 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 65.45, 1.0× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 14.02 | 11.18 | 18.41 | 10 |
| 1960s | 18.02 | 16.84 | 19.75 | 10 |
| 1970s | 17.53 | 17.13 | 18.96 | 10 |
| 1980s | 23.03 | 19.39 | 26.21 | 10 |
| 1990s | 29.67 | 26.2 | 34.78 | 10 |
| 2000s | 42.4 | 36.43 | 48.34 | 10 |
| 2010s | 56.5 | 49.23 | 62.71 | 10 |
| 2020s | 65.2 | 63.52 | 66.34 | 6 |
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 share urban and rural population in China?
- Share urban and rural population in China was 66.34 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share urban and rural population recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 66.34 in 2025.
- What is the lowest share urban and rural population recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.18 in 1950.
- How does China rank for share urban and rural population?
- China ranks 115th out of 236 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share urban and rural population rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.7%. 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 Share urban and rural population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 76 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).