Population growth in China

Population growth in China: 1.79% a year in 1950 and -0.24% a year in 2023, by UN estimates.

Latest, 2023: -0.24% a year
Since 1950: −2.02 percentage points
Rank, 2023: 189 of 229; counting from the highest
World, 2023: 0.87% a year
Projected, 2100: -1.68% a year; UN projection (medium variant)

Watch it change on the map

% a year · UN

Estimates, UNUN projection (medium variant)95% prediction intervalWorld

What the numbers say

The UN projection (medium variant) puts it at -1.68% a year in 2100, between -3.24% a year and -0.67% a year (95% prediction interval).
The highest was 3.29% a year in 1963, the lowest -0.24% a year in 2023.

Every year

% a year · UN

Year	China	World
2023	-0.24	0.87
2022	-0.13	0.88
2021	-0.05	0.8
2020	0.09	0.9
2019	0.27	1.03
2018	0.37	1.07
2017	0.58	1.13
2016	0.61	1.17
2015	0.53	1.18
2014	0.65	1.22
2013	0.64	1.23
2012	0.74	1.27
2011	0.62	1.26
2010	0.66	1.27
2009	0.68	1.28
2008	0.62	1.28
2007	0.59	1.28
2006	0.59	1.28
2005	0.63	1.27
2004	0.58	1.28
2003	0.59	1.29
2002	0.6	1.3
2001	0.67	1.33
2000	0.77	1.35
1999	0.72	1.35
1998	0.76	1.37
1997	0.79	1.39
1996	0.86	1.42
1995	0.91	1.45
1994	0.92	1.47
1993	1.02	1.52
1992	1.12	1.57
1991	1.22	1.63
1990	1.74	1.76
1989	1.68	1.78
1988	1.65	1.79
1987	1.79	1.84
1986	1.7	1.83
1985	1.56	1.8
1984	1.47	1.8
1983	1.38	1.78
1982	1.65	1.86
1981	1.5	1.82
1980	1.44	1.8
1979	1.4	1.79
1978	1.32	1.74
1977	1.33	1.75
1976	1.48	1.78
1975	1.61	1.8
1974	1.87	1.88
1973	2.11	1.94
1972	2.23	1.97
1971	2.37	1.97
1970	2.61	2.06
1969	2.6	2.06
1968	2.75	2.09
1967	2.44	2
1966	2.52	2.04
1965	2.66	2.09
1964	2.55	2.16
1963	3.29	2.28
1962	2.47	2.11
1961	0.33	1.67
1960	-0.03	1.58
1959	0.67	1.73
1958	1.95	2
1957	2.4	2.07
1956	2.02	1.98
1955	2.25	2.01
1954	2.25	1.99
1953	2.05	1.9
1952	2.31	1.94
1951	1.76	1.75
1950	1.79	1.74

UN projection (medium variant) · 2024–2100

Year	China	World
2024	-0.22-0.42–-0.02	0.86
2025	-0.23-0.46–-0.02	0.84
2026	-0.22-0.45–0.01	0.83
2027	-0.24-0.5–-0.01	0.81
2028	-0.26-0.54–-0.01	0.8
2029	-0.29-0.58–-0.03	0.78
2030	-0.3-0.6–-0.04	0.76
2031	-0.33-0.64–-0.04	0.75
2032	-0.35-0.68–-0.03	0.73
2033	-0.37-0.71–-0.05	0.72
2034	-0.39-0.74–-0.06	0.7
2035	-0.41-0.78–-0.07	0.69
2036	-0.42-0.81–-0.08	0.67
2037	-0.44-0.84–-0.08	0.65
2038	-0.46-0.88–-0.09	0.64
2039	-0.48-0.9–-0.12	0.62
2040	-0.5-0.95–-0.12	0.61
2041	-0.52-0.98–-0.12	0.59
2042	-0.54-1–-0.14	0.57
2043	-0.56-1.04–-0.17	0.56
2044	-0.59-1.08–-0.18	0.54
2045	-0.62-1.14–-0.21	0.52
2046	-0.66-1.15–-0.25	0.5
2047	-0.69-1.2–-0.29	0.48
2048	-0.73-1.24–-0.32	0.46
2049	-0.78-1.29–-0.35	0.44
2050	-0.82-1.36–-0.4	0.42
2051	-0.87-1.4–-0.46	0.4
2052	-0.92-1.45–-0.48	0.38
2053	-0.97-1.5–-0.52	0.36
2054	-1.01-1.56–-0.57	0.34
2055	-1.06-1.59–-0.6	0.33
2056	-1.1-1.65–-0.63	0.31
2057	-1.14-1.69–-0.67	0.3
2058	-1.17-1.71–-0.68	0.28
2059	-1.2-1.75–-0.72	0.27
2060	-1.23-1.8–-0.71	0.25
2061	-1.25-1.81–-0.74	0.24
2062	-1.26-1.83–-0.73	0.23
2063	-1.27-1.87–-0.73	0.22
2064	-1.28-1.9–-0.75	0.21
2065	-1.29-1.91–-0.75	0.2
2066	-1.29-1.92–-0.71	0.19
2067	-1.3-1.96–-0.73	0.18
2068	-1.3-1.97–-0.71	0.17
2069	-1.3-1.98–-0.7	0.16
2070	-1.3-2.02–-0.69	0.15
2071	-1.31-2.05–-0.67	0.14
2072	-1.32-2.09–-0.68	0.13
2073	-1.34-2.09–-0.65	0.12
2074	-1.35-2.15–-0.64	0.1
2075	-1.37-2.19–-0.67	0.09
2076	-1.39-2.25–-0.68	0.08
2077	-1.41-2.29–-0.7	0.07
2078	-1.43-2.36–-0.69	0.06
2079	-1.46-2.4–-0.73	0.05
2080	-1.49-2.44–-0.75	0.04
2081	-1.51-2.44–-0.76	0.03
2082	-1.52-2.49–-0.76	0.02
2083	-1.54-2.56–-0.77	0.01
2084	-1.56-2.6–-0.78	-0
2085	-1.57-2.64–-0.78	-0.01
2086	-1.57-2.64–-0.8	-0.02
2087	-1.58-2.66–-0.81	-0.03
2088	-1.58-2.64–-0.8	-0.04
2089	-1.59-2.68–-0.77	-0.05
2090	-1.59-2.71–-0.77	-0.05
2091	-1.59-2.77–-0.77	-0.06
2092	-1.59-2.79–-0.76	-0.07
2093	-1.6-2.78–-0.73	-0.07
2094	-1.61-2.85–-0.75	-0.08
2095	-1.62-2.9–-0.74	-0.09
2096	-1.63-2.99–-0.76	-0.1
2097	-1.64-3.07–-0.73	-0.11
2098	-1.65-3.12–-0.69	-0.11
2099	-1.67-3.22–-0.69	-0.12
2100	-1.68-3.24–-0.67	-0.13

Good to know

How fast the population grew or shrank in a year: births minus deaths, plus people moving in minus people moving out.
Source: UN DESA, World Population Prospects 2024.
The dashed line is the UN projection (medium variant), a scenario rather than a forecast; the band is its 95% prediction interval.
Ranks count the 229 countries with a value in 2023, highest first.
The faint line is the world as a whole, as the same source counts it.

How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time

Population growth in China

What the numbers say

Every year

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