Population and Demographics of China
Population declining at 0.23% in 2024 · 14.67% aged 65 or older
Fertility, at 1.0 children per woman, matters alongside an age split of 16.01% under 15 and 14.67% at 65 or above. The medium projection reaches 1.26 billion in 2050, placing the mid-century total 11.2% below 2024.
Population Over Time in China
Over the 24 years from 2000 to 2024, China added roughly 149.74 million people, leaving the 2024 total at 1419.321M. By 2050, the medium path reaches 1260.289M, which would make the population smaller than in 2024. The chart connects dated reference points only and should not be read as an annual interpolated series.
Age Structure and Sex Balance
In 2024, China's age mix can be described as maturing on the broad UN age-group measures. The youngest and oldest broad age groups are relatively close at 16.01% and 14.67%, while 69.32% are 15 to 64. The youngest and oldest broad age groups are relatively close in size.
Population by broad age group
China's 2024 population is 49.1% female and 50.9% male in the World Bank series. Males exceed females by 1.8 percentage points.
Female and male population share
Males made up 50.9% of the population in the World Bank's 2024 series, compared with 49.1% females.
What Is Shaping Population Change
China's demographic indicators put annual change at -0.23% and fertility at 1.0, while 16.01% are children, 69.32% are 15 to 64 and 14.67% are older adults.
Looking back to 2000, China's 2024 population represents a +11.7% change, while the medium scenario adds a -11.2% change between 2024 and 2050; no specific birth, death or migration contribution is inferred from that total.
2024 estimate for China. The world comparison value is 2.25 children per woman.
China vs. World
Against the 2024 world benchmarks, China's annual population change was lower than the global pace, fertility was below the world level, and its population was older than the world median-age profile.
| Indicator | China | World | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual population change | -0.23% | +0.87% | 2024 |
| Total fertility rate | 1 | 2.25 | 2024 |
| Median age | 40 | 30.6 | 2024 |
To keep the comparison defensible, all three indicators come from one harmonized 2024 table that attributes the demographic series to UN WPP 2024.
Key Takeaways
China has 1,419,321,278 people in the 2024 estimate, with the population changing -0.23% over the year.
Broad age shares show 14.67% aged 65+ compared with 16.01% under 15; the 15 to 64 group accounts for 69.32%.
Females make up 49.1% of the 2024 population in the World Bank indicator, with males at 50.9%.
By 2050, the medium projection is 1260.289M, differing from 2024 by roughly 159.03 million people.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the population of China?
The 2024 harmonized population estimate for China is 1,419,321,278 people.
Is the population of China growing or declining?
In the 2024 estimate, China's population is declining, with annual change of -0.23%.
What percentage of the population of China is aged 65 or older?
People aged 65 or older account for 14.67% of China's 2024 population in the UN WPP-based broad age data.
What is the projected population of China in 2050?
The UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium projection puts China's 2050 population at 1,260,289,093.
What is the fertility rate in China?
The 2024 harmonized fertility estimate for China is 1 children per woman.
Sources & methodology
This profile uses United Nations World Population Prospects 2024 as the primary framework for globally comparable population, age, fertility and projection data. The World Bank is the primary source for the female population share. Some country values were accessed through secondary retrieval interfaces that republish or organize UN data; those interfaces are identified below as secondary and are not treated as the original statistical publishers.
View sources used for this page
Primary global framework for the population estimates and projections.
Harmonized 2024 country table based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Harmonized broad age shares based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Harmonized reference for the 2000 population point.
Harmonized 2050 country projection based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Used for the 2024 female share; the male share is calculated as the remainder to 100%.