Total population in China
China: Total population was 1.42 million thousands in 2025. β² Rising
Total population in China, 1970β2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in thousands.
Analysis
China recorded 1.42 million thousands for total population in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.2% on the previous year and up 1.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total population in China peaked at 1.43 million thousands in 2021 and was at its lowest, 812,550 thousands, in 1970.
China ranks 2nd of 230 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 894,766 thousands | 812,550 thousands | 962,486 thousands | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.05 million thousands | 976,090 thousands | 1.12 million thousands | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.21 million thousands | 1.14 million thousands | 1.26 million thousands | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.30 million thousands | 1.26 million thousands | 1.34 million thousands | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.39 million thousands | 1.35 million thousands | 1.42 million thousands | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.42 million thousands | 1.42 million thousands | 1.43 million thousands | 6 |
Countries ranked near China
More population data for China
- Population growth rate by level of development -1.68 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 15.54 million (2100)
- Population density 67.46 (2100)
- Population growth rate -1.68 (2100)
- Fertility and wanted fertility 1.01 (2024)
- Refugee population by country or territory of asylum 303,405 (2020)
- Fertility vs unmet contraception 1.01 (2024)
- Fertility vs contraception 1.01 (2024)
- Natural population growth -0.1957 (2023)
- Fertility rate with projections 0.999 (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is total population in China?
- Total population in China was 1.42 million thousands in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest total population recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 1.43 million thousands in 2021.
- What is the lowest total population recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 812,550 thousands in 1970.
- How does China rank for total population?
- China ranks 2nd out of 230 countries with data for 2025.
- Is total population rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Total population (thousands). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV Β· JSON β 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release