China Demographics

Population of China (2024)

View live population, charts & trends: Population of China

China Population
1,419,321,278
Yearly Change
-0.23%
Global Share
17.39%
Global Rank

Median Age

The median age in China is 39.6 years (2024).

Fertility in China

A Total Fertility Rate (TFR) of 2.1 represents the Replacement-Level Fertility: the average number of children per woman needed for each generation to exactly replace itself without needing international immigration. A value below 2.1 will cause the native population to decline

pregnant_woman Total Fertiliy Rate (TFR)
1.0
(Live Births per Woman, 2024)

Life Expectancy in China

See also: Countries in the world ranked by Life Expectancy

Both Sexes
78.0 years
(life expectancy at birth, both sexes combined)
Females
81.0 years
(life expectancy at birth, females)
Males
75.2 years
(life expectancy at birth, males)

Infant Mortality Rate and Deaths of Children under 5 Years Old in China

Infant Mortality
6.4
(infant deaths per 1,000 live births)
Deaths under age 5
8.0
(per 1,000 live births)

China Urban Population

Currently, 66.4 % of the population of China is urban (941,865,672 people in 2024)

Population Density

The 2024 population density in China is 151 people per Km2 (392 people per mi2), calculated on a total land area of 9,388,211 Km2 (3,624,807 sq. miles).

Largest Cities in China

# CITY NAME POPULATION
1 Shanghai 22,315,474
2 Beijing 18,960,744
3 Shenzhen 17,494,398
4 Guangzhou 16,096,724
5 Chengdu 13,568,357
6 Tianjin 11,090,314
7 Wuhan 10,392,693
8 Dongguan 9,644,871
9 Xi'an 9,600,000
10 Nanjing 9,314,685
11 Hangzhou 9,236,032
12 Foshan 9,042,509
13 Chongqing 7,457,599
14 Qingdao 7,172,451
15 Shenyang 7,050,000
16 Suzhou 6,715,559
17 Harbin 5,242,897
18 Hefei 5,050,000
19 Dalian 4,913,879
20 Changchun 4,714,996
21 Xiamen 4,617,251
22 Wuxi 4,396,835
23 Jinan 4,335,989
24 Taiyuan 4,303,673
25 Zhengzhou 4,253,913
26 Shijiazhuang 3,938,513
27 Kunming 3,855,346
28 Zhongshan 3,841,873
29 Nanning 3,839,800
30 Shantou 3,838,900

See also

Sources

Definitions

Population Pyramid

A Population pyramid (also called "Age-Sex Pyramid") is a graphical representation of the age and sex of a population.

Types:

  • Expansive - pyramid with a wide base (larger percentage of people in younger age groups, indicating high birth rates and high fertility rates) and narrow top (high death rate and lower life expectancies). It suggests a growing population. Example: Nigera Population Pyramid
  • Constrictive - pyramid with a narrow base (lower percentage of younger people, indicating declining birth rates with each succeeding age group getting smaller than the previous one). Example: United States
  • Stationary - with a somewhat equal proportion of the population in each age group. The population is stable, neither increasing nor decreasing.

Stages:

 

Dependency Ratio

There are three types of age dependency ratio: Youth, Elderly, and Total. All three ratios are commonly multiplied by 100.

Youth Dependency Ratio
Definition: population ages 0-15 divided by the population ages 16-64.
Formula: ([Population ages 0-15] ÷ [Population ages 16-64]) × 100

Elderly dependency ratio
Definition: population ages 65-plus divided by the population ages 16-64.
Formula: ([Population ages 65-plus] ÷ [Population ages 16-64]) × 100

Total dependency ratio
Definition: sum of the youth and old-age ratios.
Formula: (([Population ages 0-15] + [Population ages 65-plus]) ÷ [Population ages 16-64]) × 100

NOTE: Dependency Ratio does not take into account labor force participation rates by age group. Some portion of the population counted as "working age" may actually be unemployed or not in the labor force whereas some portion of the "dependent" population may be employed and not necessarily economically dependent.