Population, total in China
China: Population, total was 1.41 billion in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
1.41 billion
Change on year
down 0.2%
World rank
2nd
of 218 countries
All-time high
1.41 billion
in 2021
All-time low
660.33 million
in 1961
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Population, total in China, 1960–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
The most recent figure for population, total in China is 1.41 billion, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.2% on the previous year and up 1.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population, total in China peaked at 1.41 billion in 2021 and was at its lowest, 660.33 million, in 1961.
That places China 2nd out of 218 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Population, total in China, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 667.07 million | — |
| 1961 | 660.33 million | -1.0% |
| 1962 | 665.77 million | +0.8% |
| 1963 | 682.34 million | +2.5% |
| 1964 | 698.36 million | +2.3% |
| 1965 | 715.18 million | +2.4% |
| 1966 | 735.40 million | +2.8% |
| 1967 | 754.55 million | +2.6% |
| 1968 | 774.51 million | +2.6% |
| 1969 | 796.02 million | +2.8% |
| 1970 | 818.32 million | +2.8% |
| 1971 | 841.11 million | +2.8% |
| 1972 | 862.03 million | +2.5% |
| 1973 | 881.94 million | +2.3% |
| 1974 | 900.35 million | +2.1% |
| 1975 | 916.39 million | +1.8% |
| 1976 | 930.68 million | +1.6% |
| 1977 | 943.46 million | +1.4% |
| 1978 | 956.16 million | +1.3% |
| 1979 | 969.00 million | +1.3% |
| 1980 | 981.24 million | +1.3% |
| 1981 | 993.88 million | +1.3% |
| 1982 | 1.01 billion | +1.5% |
| 1983 | 1.02 billion | +1.5% |
| 1984 | 1.04 billion | +1.3% |
| 1985 | 1.05 billion | +1.4% |
| 1986 | 1.07 billion | +1.5% |
| 1987 | 1.08 billion | +1.6% |
| 1988 | 1.10 billion | +1.6% |
| 1989 | 1.12 billion | +1.5% |
| 1990 | 1.14 billion | +1.5% |
| 1991 | 1.15 billion | +1.4% |
| 1992 | 1.16 billion | +1.2% |
| 1993 | 1.18 billion | +1.2% |
| 1994 | 1.19 billion | +1.1% |
| 1995 | 1.20 billion | +1.1% |
| 1996 | 1.22 billion | +1.1% |
| 1997 | 1.23 billion | +1.0% |
| 1998 | 1.24 billion | +1.0% |
| 1999 | 1.25 billion | +0.9% |
| 2000 | 1.26 billion | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 1.27 billion | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 1.28 billion | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 1.29 billion | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 1.30 billion | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 1.30 billion | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 1.31 billion | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 1.32 billion | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 1.32 billion | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 1.33 billion | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 1.34 billion | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 1.35 billion | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 1.35 billion | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 1.36 billion | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 1.37 billion | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 1.38 billion | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 1.39 billion | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 1.40 billion | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 1.40 billion | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 1.41 billion | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 1.41 billion | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 1.41 billion | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 1.41 billion | -0.0% |
| 2023 | 1.41 billion | -0.1% |
| 2024 | 1.41 billion | -0.1% |
| 2025 | 1.41 billion | -0.2% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 1.41 billion is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 6.55 million, 214.8× the median. (59 countries reporting)
- China's 1.41 billion is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.42 million, 991.6× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 714.95 million | 660.33 million | 796.02 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 901.94 million | 818.32 million | 969.00 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.05 billion | 981.24 million | 1.12 billion | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.20 billion | 1.14 billion | 1.25 billion | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.30 billion | 1.26 billion | 1.33 billion | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.37 billion | 1.34 billion | 1.41 billion | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.41 billion | 1.41 billion | 1.41 billion | 6 |
Countries ranked near China
More climate change data for China
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 31.25 billion kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 604,831 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 191,478 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 413,353 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 722.56 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 14,763 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 342,069 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 200,605 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 141,464 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 757 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population, total in China?
- Population, total in China was 1.41 billion in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest population, total recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 1.41 billion in 2021.
- What is the lowest population, total recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 660.33 million in 1961.
- How does China rank for population, total?
- China ranks 2nd out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population, total rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Population, total. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Total population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship. The values shown are midyear estimates.