Urban population in China
China: Urban population was 66.3% in 2025. ▲ Rising
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 15.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in China peaked at 66.3% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 16.8%, in 1963.
That places China 101st out of 217 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Urban 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% |
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
- 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)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 5,052 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 16.8% in 1963.
- How does China rank for urban population?
- China ranks 101st out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban 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 rising.
- 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.