🇨🇳 China Population 2026
As of 2026, the population of China is 1,412,914,089, ranking #2 in the world (17.02% of the global population), based on UN World Population Prospects 2024. The population is shrinking at -0.22% per year. The biggest city is Shanghai with 24,874,500 inhabitants.
Live estimate
1,412,838,745
Growth rate
-0.22%
Density
147
people / km² (381 / mi²)
Median age
40.6
Fertility rate
1.03
births per woman
Life expectancy
79.0
years
China population 1950–2100
By 2050, the population of China is projected to reach 1,260,289,093, and 633,368,113 by 2100.
China population by year
| Year | Population | Growth | Density /km² | Median age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1,412,914,089 | -0.22% | 147.2 | 40.6 |
| 2025 | 1,416,096,094 | -0.23% | 147.5 | 40.1 |
| 2024 | 1,419,321,278 | -0.22% | 147.8 | 39.6 |
| 2023 | 1,422,584,933 | -0.24% | 148.2 | 39.1 |
| 2022 | 1,425,179,569 | -0.13% | 148.5 | 38.5 |
| 2021 | 1,426,437,267 | -0.05% | 148.6 | 38.0 |
| 2020 | 1,426,106,093 | 0.09% | 148.6 | 37.5 |
| 2019 | 1,423,520,357 | 0.27% | 148.3 | 37.0 |
| 2018 | 1,419,008,956 | 0.37% | 147.8 | 36.6 |
| 2017 | 1,412,354,727 | 0.57% | 147.1 | 36.3 |
| 2016 | 1,404,052,632 | 0.60% | 146.3 | 36.0 |
| 2015 | 1,396,134,174 | 0.53% | 145.4 | 35.7 |
| 2014 | 1,387,951,972 | 0.65% | 144.6 | 35.4 |
| 2013 | 1,379,008,040 | 0.64% | 143.6 | 35.1 |
| 2012 | 1,369,520,864 | 0.74% | 142.7 | 34.9 |
| 2011 | 1,360,250,664 | 0.62% | 141.7 | 34.5 |
| 2010 | 1,351,561,514 | 0.66% | 140.8 | 34.1 |
| 2009 | 1,342,522,716 | 0.68% | 139.8 | 33.7 |
| 2008 | 1,333,821,016 | 0.62% | 138.9 | 33.3 |
| 2007 | 1,325,813,582 | 0.58% | 138.1 | 32.8 |
| 2006 | 1,318,054,036 | 0.59% | 137.3 | 32.3 |
| 2005 | 1,310,027,136 | 0.63% | 136.5 | 31.8 |
| 2004 | 1,302,100,316 | 0.58% | 135.6 | 31.2 |
| 2003 | 1,294,517,326 | 0.59% | 134.8 | 30.7 |
| 2002 | 1,286,866,839 | 0.60% | 134.0 | 30.1 |
| 2001 | 1,278,725,062 | 0.67% | 133.2 | 29.5 |
| 2000 | 1,269,581,175 | 0.77% | 132.2 | 29.0 |
| 1999 | 1,260,176,655 | 0.72% | 131.3 | 28.4 |
| 1998 | 1,250,847,126 | 0.76% | 130.3 | 27.8 |
| 1997 | 1,241,139,622 | 0.79% | 129.3 | 27.2 |
| 1996 | 1,230,944,812 | 0.86% | 128.2 | 26.7 |
| 1995 | 1,220,133,928 | 0.91% | 127.1 | 26.1 |
| 1994 | 1,209,003,096 | 0.92% | 125.9 | 25.6 |
| 1993 | 1,197,308,575 | 1.02% | 124.7 | 25.1 |
| 1992 | 1,184,574,237 | 1.12% | 123.4 | 24.6 |
| 1991 | 1,170,788,528 | 1.22% | 122.0 | 24.1 |
| 1990 | 1,153,582,724 | 1.74% | 120.2 | 23.7 |
| 1989 | 1,133,991,008 | 1.68% | 118.1 | 23.4 |
| 1988 | 1,115,244,165 | 1.65% | 116.2 | 23.0 |
| 1987 | 1,096,217,446 | 1.79% | 114.2 | 22.6 |
| 1986 | 1,077,233,607 | 1.70% | 112.2 | 22.1 |
| 1985 | 1,059,807,820 | 1.56% | 110.4 | 21.7 |
| 1984 | 1,043,849,638 | 1.47% | 108.7 | 21.4 |
| 1983 | 1,029,064,956 | 1.38% | 107.2 | 21.2 |
| 1982 | 1,013,588,179 | 1.65% | 105.6 | 21.1 |
| 1981 | 997,721,071 | 1.50% | 103.9 | 21.1 |
| 1980 | 983,163,542 | 1.44% | 102.4 | 20.9 |
| 1979 | 969,288,070 | 1.40% | 101.0 | 20.6 |
| 1978 | 956,161,484 | 1.32% | 99.6 | 20.2 |
| 1977 | 943,546,375 | 1.33% | 98.3 | 19.8 |
| 1976 | 930,372,292 | 1.48% | 96.9 | 19.4 |
| 1975 | 916,116,793 | 1.61% | 95.4 | 19.1 |
| 1974 | 900,307,582 | 1.87% | 93.8 | 18.7 |
| 1973 | 882,576,946 | 2.11% | 91.9 | 18.5 |
| 1972 | 863,677,814 | 2.23% | 90.0 | 18.3 |
| 1971 | 844,069,867 | 2.37% | 87.9 | 18.1 |
| 1970 | 823,308,967 | 2.61% | 85.8 | 18.0 |
| 1969 | 802,140,332 | 2.60% | 83.6 | 18.0 |
| 1968 | 781,011,025 | 2.75% | 81.4 | 18.0 |
| 1967 | 761,026,026 | 2.44% | 79.3 | 18.1 |
| 1966 | 742,402,213 | 2.52% | 77.3 | 18.2 |
| 1965 | 723,415,733 | 2.66% | 75.4 | 18.5 |
| 1964 | 704,798,265 | 2.55% | 73.4 | 18.9 |
| 1963 | 684,552,646 | 3.29% | 71.3 | 19.4 |
| 1962 | 665,073,691 | 2.47% | 69.3 | 19.9 |
| 1961 | 655,773,486 | 0.33% | 68.3 | 20.0 |
| 1960 | 654,802,069 | -0.03% | 68.2 | 19.9 |
| 1959 | 652,708,217 | 0.67% | 68.0 | 19.8 |
| 1958 | 644,219,479 | 1.95% | 67.1 | 19.9 |
| 1957 | 630,356,208 | 2.40% | 65.7 | 20.2 |
| 1956 | 616,558,582 | 2.02% | 64.2 | 20.5 |
| 1955 | 603,547,007 | 2.25% | 62.9 | 20.7 |
| 1954 | 590,113,858 | 2.25% | 61.5 | 21.0 |
| 1953 | 577,557,138 | 2.05% | 60.2 | 21.3 |
| 1952 | 565,131,438 | 2.31% | 58.9 | 21.6 |
| 1951 | 553,758,247 | 1.75% | 57.7 | 21.9 |
| 1950 | 544,044,358 | 1.78% | 56.7 | 22.2 |
| Year | Population | Growth | Density /km² | Median age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2027 | 1,409,679,406 | -0.24% | 146.8 | 41.2 |
| 2028 | 1,406,136,744 | -0.26% | 146.5 | 41.8 |
| 2029 | 1,402,282,752 | -0.28% | 146.1 | 42.3 |
| 2030 | 1,398,153,832 | -0.30% | 145.6 | 42.9 |
| 2031 | 1,393,748,670 | -0.33% | 145.2 | 43.5 |
| 2032 | 1,389,060,032 | -0.35% | 144.7 | 44.1 |
| 2033 | 1,384,096,521 | -0.37% | 144.2 | 44.7 |
| 2034 | 1,378,876,934 | -0.39% | 143.6 | 45.3 |
| 2035 | 1,373,427,531 | -0.41% | 143.1 | 45.8 |
| 2036 | 1,367,742,785 | -0.42% | 142.5 | 46.4 |
| 2037 | 1,361,830,063 | -0.44% | 141.9 | 46.9 |
| 2038 | 1,355,722,707 | -0.46% | 141.2 | 47.5 |
| 2039 | 1,349,394,718 | -0.48% | 140.6 | 48.1 |
| 2040 | 1,342,816,657 | -0.50% | 139.9 | 48.6 |
| 2041 | 1,335,990,232 | -0.52% | 139.2 | 49.1 |
| 2042 | 1,328,909,238 | -0.54% | 138.4 | 49.5 |
| 2043 | 1,321,590,798 | -0.56% | 137.7 | 49.9 |
| 2044 | 1,314,015,987 | -0.59% | 136.9 | 50.3 |
| 2045 | 1,306,113,788 | -0.62% | 136.1 | 50.6 |
| 2046 | 1,297,817,582 | -0.66% | 135.2 | 51.0 |
| 2047 | 1,289,120,427 | -0.69% | 134.3 | 51.3 |
| 2048 | 1,279,992,585 | -0.73% | 133.3 | 51.6 |
| 2049 | 1,270,381,145 | -0.78% | 132.3 | 51.9 |
| 2050 | 1,260,289,093 | -0.82% | 131.3 | 52.1 |
| 2051 | 1,249,692,538 | -0.87% | 130.2 | 52.4 |
| 2052 | 1,238,557,132 | -0.92% | 129.0 | 52.7 |
| 2053 | 1,226,929,854 | -0.97% | 127.8 | 52.9 |
| 2054 | 1,214,853,346 | -1.01% | 126.5 | 53.2 |
| 2055 | 1,202,342,471 | -1.06% | 125.2 | 53.4 |
| 2056 | 1,189,440,669 | -1.10% | 123.9 | 53.7 |
| 2057 | 1,176,217,945 | -1.14% | 122.5 | 53.9 |
| 2058 | 1,162,722,708 | -1.17% | 121.1 | 54.2 |
| 2059 | 1,149,002,168 | -1.20% | 119.7 | 54.4 |
| 2060 | 1,135,127,190 | -1.23% | 118.2 | 54.7 |
| 2061 | 1,121,174,717 | -1.25% | 116.8 | 54.9 |
| 2062 | 1,107,207,133 | -1.26% | 115.3 | 55.2 |
| 2063 | 1,093,276,704 | -1.27% | 113.9 | 55.5 |
| 2064 | 1,079,407,882 | -1.28% | 112.4 | 55.7 |
| 2065 | 1,065,632,529 | -1.29% | 111.0 | 56.1 |
| 2066 | 1,051,989,135 | -1.29% | 109.6 | 56.4 |
| 2067 | 1,038,472,818 | -1.29% | 108.2 | 56.7 |
| 2068 | 1,025,103,452 | -1.30% | 106.8 | 57.1 |
| 2069 | 1,011,878,190 | -1.30% | 105.4 | 57.4 |
| 2070 | 998,784,319 | -1.30% | 104.0 | 57.7 |
| 2071 | 985,806,560 | -1.31% | 102.7 | 58.1 |
| 2072 | 972,905,671 | -1.32% | 101.3 | 58.5 |
| 2073 | 960,055,383 | -1.34% | 100.0 | 58.9 |
| 2074 | 947,249,417 | -1.35% | 98.7 | 59.2 |
| 2075 | 934,466,660 | -1.37% | 97.3 | 59.6 |
| 2076 | 921,677,630 | -1.39% | 96.0 | 60.0 |
| 2077 | 908,874,532 | -1.41% | 94.7 | 60.3 |
| 2078 | 896,043,789 | -1.43% | 93.3 | 60.7 |
| 2079 | 883,166,975 | -1.46% | 92.0 | 61.1 |
| 2080 | 870,252,344 | -1.49% | 90.7 | 61.4 |
| 2081 | 857,328,714 | -1.51% | 89.3 | 61.7 |
| 2082 | 844,439,196 | -1.52% | 88.0 | 62.0 |
| 2083 | 831,604,668 | -1.54% | 86.6 | 62.2 |
| 2084 | 818,815,356 | -1.56% | 85.3 | 62.2 |
| 2085 | 806,115,054 | -1.57% | 84.0 | 62.2 |
| 2086 | 793,559,254 | -1.57% | 82.7 | 62.0 |
| 2087 | 781,153,718 | -1.58% | 81.4 | 61.9 |
| 2088 | 768,899,132 | -1.58% | 80.1 | 61.7 |
| 2089 | 756,809,110 | -1.59% | 78.8 | 61.6 |
| 2090 | 744,902,836 | -1.58% | 77.6 | 61.4 |
| 2091 | 733,179,456 | -1.59% | 76.4 | 61.3 |
| 2092 | 721,612,750 | -1.59% | 75.2 | 61.2 |
| 2093 | 710,185,968 | -1.60% | 74.0 | 61.1 |
| 2094 | 698,893,770 | -1.61% | 72.8 | 61.0 |
| 2095 | 687,724,085 | -1.62% | 71.6 | 60.9 |
| 2096 | 676,660,877 | -1.63% | 70.5 | 60.8 |
| 2097 | 665,695,504 | -1.64% | 69.3 | 60.8 |
| 2098 | 654,825,389 | -1.65% | 68.2 | 60.7 |
| 2099 | 644,049,400 | -1.67% | 67.1 | 60.7 |
| 2100 | 633,368,113 | -1.68% | 66.0 | 60.7 |
States & provinces of China by population
| # | State / province | Population | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Guangdong | 126,012,510 | 8.9% |
| 2 | Shandong | 101,527,453 | 7.2% |
| 3 | Henan | 99,365,519 | 7.0% |
| 4 | Jiangsu | 84,748,016 | 6.0% |
| 5 | Sichuan | 83,674,866 | 5.9% |
| 6 | Hebei | 69,890,000 | 4.9% |
| 7 | Hunan | 66,444,864 | 4.7% |
| 8 | Zhejiang | 64,567,588 | 4.6% |
| 9 | Anhui | 61,027,171 | 4.3% |
| 10 | Hubei | 58,300,000 | 4.1% |
| 11 | Guangxi | 48,160,000 | 3.4% |
| 12 | Yunnan | 45,430,000 | 3.2% |
| 13 | Jiangxi | 45,188,635 | 3.2% |
| 14 | Liaoning | 42,591,407 | 3.0% |
| 15 | Fujian | 41,540,086 | 2.9% |
| 16 | Shaanxi | 39,530,000 | 2.8% |
| 17 | Guizhou | 38,562,148 | 2.7% |
| 18 | Shanxi | 34,915,616 | 2.5% |
| 19 | Heilongjiang | 31,850,088 | 2.3% |
| 20 | Chongqing | 28,390,000 | 2.0% |
| 21 | Gansu | 25,019,831 | 1.8% |
| 22 | Shanghai | 24,874,500 | 1.8% |
| 23 | Inner Mongol | 24,259,735 | 1.7% |
| 24 | Jilin | 24,073,453 | 1.7% |
| 25 | Xinjiang | 21,310,000 | 1.5% |
| 26 | Beijing | 14,933,274 | 1.1% |
| 27 | Tianjin | 14,000,000 | 1.0% |
| 28 | Hainan | 10,081,232 | 0.7% |
| 29 | Ningxia | 6,180,000 | 0.4% |
| 30 | Qinghai | 5,923,957 | 0.4% |
| 31 | Xizang | 2,870,000 | 0.2% |
State populations: GeoNames (latest official figures, reference dates vary by country).
Biggest cities in China
| # | City | Region | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shanghai | Shanghai | 24,874,500 |
| 2 | Beijing capital | Beijing | 18,960,744 |
| 3 | Shenzhen | Guangdong | 17,494,398 |
| 4 | Guangzhou | Guangdong | 16,096,724 |
| 5 | Chengdu | Sichuan | 13,568,357 |
| 6 | Tianjin | Tianjin | 11,090,314 |
| 7 | Wuhan | Hubei | 10,392,693 |
| 8 | Dongguan | Guangdong | 9,644,871 |
| 9 | Xi’an | Shaanxi | 9,600,000 |
| 10 | Nanjing | Jiangsu | 9,314,685 |
| 11 | Hangzhou | Zhejiang | 9,236,032 |
| 12 | Foshan | Guangdong | 9,042,509 |
| 13 | Chongqing | Chongqing | 7,457,599 |
| 14 | Wuzhong | Ningxia | 7,202,654 |
| 15 | Qingdao | Shandong | 7,172,451 |
FAQ
What is the population of China in 2026?
The population of China is 1,412,914,089 in 2026, according to UN World Population Prospects 2024 (medium variant).
What is the biggest city in China?
Shanghai is the biggest city in China with 24,874,500 inhabitants; the capital is Beijing.
Is the population of China growing or shrinking?
The population of China is shrinking at -0.22% per year.
Neighboring countries
Sources
- Country data: United Nations World Population Prospects 2024, medium variant (CC BY 3.0 IGO). Retrieved 2026-07-07.
- City and state data: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Retrieved 2026-07-07.
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