Urban population (% of total population) in China
China: Urban population (% of total population) was 66.3% in 2025. ▬ Flat
Urban population in China, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for urban population in China is 66.3%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.7% on the previous year and up 2.5% over five years.
Over the whole period, urban population in China peaked at 66.3% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 64.7%, in 2021.
That places China 101st out of 218 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
Urban population (% of total population) in China, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 19.7% | — |
| 1961 | 19.3% | -2.3% |
| 1962 | 17.3% | -10.2% |
| 1963 | 16.8% | -2.8% |
| 1964 | 18.3% | +8.7% |
| 1965 | 18.0% | -1.7% |
| 1966 | 17.9% | -0.7% |
| 1967 | 17.7% | -0.7% |
| 1968 | 17.6% | -0.7% |
| 1969 | 17.5% | -0.7% |
| 1970 | 17.4% | -0.7% |
| 1971 | 17.3% | -0.7% |
| 1972 | 17.1% | -0.7% |
| 1973 | 17.2% | +0.4% |
| 1974 | 17.2% | -0.2% |
| 1975 | 17.3% | +1.1% |
| 1976 | 17.4% | +0.5% |
| 1977 | 17.6% | +0.7% |
| 1978 | 17.9% | +2.1% |
| 1979 | 19.0% | +5.8% |
| 1980 | 19.4% | +2.3% |
| 1981 | 20.2% | +3.9% |
| 1982 | 20.6% | +2.0% |
| 1983 | 21.6% | +5.1% |
| 1984 | 23.0% | +6.4% |
| 1985 | 23.7% | +3.0% |
| 1986 | 24.5% | +3.5% |
| 1987 | 25.3% | +3.2% |
| 1988 | 25.8% | +2.0% |
| 1989 | 26.2% | +1.5% |
| 1990 | 26.2% | -0.1% |
| 1991 | 26.9% | +2.8% |
| 1992 | 27.5% | +1.9% |
| 1993 | 28.0% | +1.9% |
| 1994 | 28.5% | +1.9% |
| 1995 | 29.0% | +1.9% |
| 1996 | 30.5% | +5.0% |
| 1997 | 31.9% | +4.7% |
| 1998 | 33.4% | +4.5% |
| 1999 | 34.8% | +4.3% |
| 2000 | 36.4% | +4.8% |
| 2001 | 37.7% | +3.4% |
| 2002 | 39.1% | +3.8% |
| 2003 | 40.5% | +3.7% |
| 2004 | 41.8% | +3.0% |
| 2005 | 43.0% | +2.9% |
| 2006 | 44.3% | +3.1% |
| 2007 | 45.9% | +3.5% |
| 2008 | 47.0% | +2.4% |
| 2009 | 48.3% | +2.9% |
| 2010 | 49.2% | +1.8% |
| 2011 | 51.8% | +5.3% |
| 2012 | 53.1% | +2.5% |
| 2013 | 54.5% | +2.6% |
| 2014 | 55.8% | +2.3% |
| 2015 | 57.3% | +2.8% |
| 2016 | 58.8% | +2.6% |
| 2017 | 60.2% | +2.4% |
| 2018 | 61.5% | +2.1% |
| 2019 | 62.7% | +2.0% |
| 2020 | 63.5% | +1.3% |
| 2021 | 64.7% | +1.9% |
| 2022 | 65.2% | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 65.5% | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 65.9% | +0.6% |
| 2025 | 66.3% | +0.7% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 66.3% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 65.4%, 1.0× the median. (59 countries reporting)
- China's 66.3% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 65.4%, 1.0× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 18.0% | 16.8% | 19.7% | 10 |
| 1970s | 17.5% | 17.1% | 19.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 23.0% | 19.4% | 26.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 29.7% | 26.2% | 34.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 42.4% | 36.4% | 48.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 56.5% | 49.2% | 62.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 65.2% | 63.5% | 66.3% | 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 urban population in China?
- Urban population in China was 66.3% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 66.3% in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 64.7% in 2021.
- How does China rank for urban population?
- China ranks 101st out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population (% of total population). 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
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. The data are collected and smoothed by United Nations Population Division.