Editing Demographics of China (section)

==Population==
===Historical population===
{{Main|Population history of China}}
[[File:China population growth.svg|thumbnail|upright=1.36|Historical population in China from 400 BC<ref name=Banister/>]]
[[File:Historical population of India and China.svg|thumb|upright=1.36|Historical population of India and China since 1100 with projection to 2100]]
During 1960–2015, the population grew to nearly 1.4 billion. Under [[Mao Zedong]], China nearly doubled in population from 540 million in 1949 to 969 million in 1979. This growth slowed because of the one-child policy instituted in 1979.<ref name="Banister">{{cite book |pages=51–57 |title=A Brief History of China's Population, The Population of Modern China |first=Judith |last=Banister |isbn=978-0-306-44138-7 |doi=10.1007/978-1-4899-1231-2_3 |chapter=A Brief History of China's Population |year=1992 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/populationofmode0000unse/page/51}}</ref> The 2022 data shows a declining population for the first time since 1961.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ng |first1=Kelly |title=China's population falls for first time since 1961 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-64300190 |access-date=17 January 2023 |work=[[BBC News]] |date=17 January 2023 |archive-date=17 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230117043939/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-64300190 |url-status=live}}</ref>

China's population reached 1 billion in 1982, making it the first country to reach this milestone.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Weisskopf |first=Michael |date=1982-10-28 |title=China's Population Passes 1 Billion in Latest Census |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1982/10/28/chinas-population-passes-1-billion-in-latest-census/f3b0e967-6dbd-4ca0-9f63-e125e980e0ab/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240603023252/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1982/10/28/chinas-population-passes-1-billion-in-latest-census/f3b0e967-6dbd-4ca0-9f63-e125e980e0ab/ |archive-date=3 June 2024 |access-date=2023-05-14 |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}</ref>

===Censuses in China===
{{Main|Census in China}}
The People's Republic of China conducted censuses in [[1953 Chinese census|1953]], [[1964 Chinese census|1964]], [[1982 Chinese census|1982]], [[1990 Chinese census|1990]], [[2000 Chinese census|2000]], [[2010 Chinese census|2010]], and [[2020 Chinese census|2020]]. In 1987, the government announced that the fourth national census would take place in 1990 and that there would be one every ten years thereafter. The 1982 census (which reported a total population of 1,008,180,738) is generally accepted as significantly more reliable, accurate, and thorough than the previous two.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Xiaogang |first=He |title=The Evolution of Population Census Undertakings in China, 1953–2010 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282944015 |journal=China Review |volume=15 |pages=171–206 |access-date=3 March 2021 |archive-date=3 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240603023129/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282944015_The_Evolution_of_Population_Census_Undertakings_in_China_1953-2010 |url-status=live}}</ref> Various international organizations eagerly assisted the Chinese in conducting the 1982 census, including the [[United Nations Fund for Population Activities]], which donated US$100.0 million between 1980 and 1989 for a variety of projects, one of which being the 1982 census.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kaufman |first=Joan |date=March 2011 |title=China Case Study on UNFPA |url=https://www.cgdev.org/sites/default/files/archive/doc/China-Case-Study.pdf |url-status=live |website=Center for Global Development |page=19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201226013926/https://www.cgdev.org/sites/default/files/archive/doc/China-Case-Study.pdf |archive-date=26 December 2020}}</ref>

China was the world's most populous nation until being surpassed by India in 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The U.S. Census Bureau - China |url=https://www.census.gov/popclock/world/ch |url-status=live |access-date=2021-04-21 |website=www.census.gov |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905192451/http://www.census.gov/popclock/world/ch |archive-date=5 September 2015}}</ref>

By the seventh census in 2020, the total population had reached to 1,419,933,142, with the mainland having 1,411,778,724, Hong Kong having 7,474,200, and Macau having 683,218. However, this number is disputed by [[obstetrics]] researcher [[Yi Fuxian]], who argues that data related to population growth is inflated by local governments to obtain financial subsidies from the central government.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lee |first1=Jane Lanhee |date=3 December 2021 |title=Researcher questions China's population data, says it may be lower |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/china/researcher-questions-chinas-population-data-says-it-may-be-lower-2021-12-03/ |access-date=25 July 2022 |archive-date=13 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220713094103/https://www.reuters.com/world/china/researcher-questions-chinas-population-data-says-it-may-be-lower-2021-12-03/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Population density and distribution===
[[File:China Population Density, 2000 (6171905307).jpg|thumb|upright=1.81|Population density in the year 2000]]
[[File:Topographic map of East Central China.jpg|thumb|upright=1.81|General topographic map of the most populous part of China, as per 2024 (Click to enlarge)]]
{{unreferenced section|date=September 2019}}
China is the second most populous country in the world and its national population density (137/km<sup>2</sup>) is very similar to [[List of countries by population density|those]] of countries like [[Denmark]] (excluding Greenland) or the [[Czech Republic]]. However, the overall population density of China conceals major regional variations. In 2002, about 94% of the population lived east of the [[Heihe–Tengchong Line]]; although this eastern area comprises only 43% of China's total land area, its population density, at roughly 280/km<sup>2</sup>, is comparable to that of Japan.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}

Broadly speaking, the population was concentrated east of the [[Tibetan Plateau]] and south of the [[Mongolian–Manchurian grassland|northern steppe]]. The most densely populated areas included the [[Yangtze River Valley]] (of which the delta region was the most populous), [[Sichuan Basin]], [[North China Plain]], [[Pearl River Delta]], and the industrial area around the city of [[Shenyang]] in the northeast.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}

Population is most sparse in the mountainous, desert, and grassland regions of the northwest and southwest. In [[Inner Mongolia]] Autonomous Region, portions are completely uninhabited, and only a few sections have populations denser than ten people per km<sup>2</sup>. The [[Inner Mongolia]], Xinjiang, and [[Tibet Autonomous Region|Tibet]] autonomous regions and [[Qinghai]] and [[Gansu]] comprise 55% of the country's land area but in 1985 contained only 5.7% of its population.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:top; float:right"
|-
! colspan="2"|  || Area (km<sup>2</sup>) || Population  || Density
|-
! colspan="2"| China || 9,650,000 (100%) || 1,411,778,724 (100%) || 134.7/km<sup>2</sup>
|-
| colspan="2"| '''5 provinces'''|| 5,246,400 (54.45%) || 84,493,388 (5.98%) || 15.16/km<sup>2</sup>
|-
| rowspan="5"| || [[Inner Mongolia]] || 1,183,000 (12.28% ) || 24,049,155 (1.70%) || 20.33/km<sup>2</sup>
|-
| [[Xinjiang]] || 1,660,000 (17.23%) || 25,852,345 (1.83%) || 12.62/km<sup>2</sup>
|-
| [[Tibet Autonomous Region|Tibet]] || 1,228,400 (12.75%) || 3,648,100 (0.26%) || 2.31/km<sup>2</sup>
|-
| [[Qinghai]] || 721,000 (7.48%) || 5,923,957 (0.42%) || 7.65/km<sup>2</sup>
|-
| [[Gansu]] || 454,000 (4.71%) || 25,019,831 (1.77%) || 57.65/km<sup>2</sup>
|-
| colspan="2"| '''Other provinces''' || 4,403,605 (45.55%) || 1,327,285,336 (94.02%) || 277.27/km<sup>2</sup>
|-
| colspan="5"| <small>Source: National Bureau of Statistics</small>
|}
{{clear}}

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+Population of China by province 1953–2020<ref name=autogenerated2>{{cite web |url=http://www.stats.gov.cn/tjsj/tjgb/rkpcgb/ |title=中华人民共和国国家统计局 >> 人口普查公报 |website=Stats.gov.cn |access-date=14 October 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131227023535/http://www.stats.gov.cn/tjsj/tjgb/rkpcgb/ |archive-date=27 December 2013}}</ref><ref name=autogenerated3>{{cite web |url=http://www.stats.gov.cn/english/PressRelease/202105/t20210510_1817188.html |title=Communiqué of the Seventh National Population Census (No. 3) |website=stats.gov.cn |access-date=10 August 2021 |archive-date=1 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211001130717/http://www.stats.gov.cn/english/PressRelease/202105/t20210510_1817188.html |url-status=live}}</ref>
|- style="background:#e0e0e0;"
! rowspan="2" | Province or<br />autonomous region
! colspan="2" | Census 1953
! colspan="2" | Census 1964
! colspan="2" | Census 1982
! colspan="2" | Census 1990
! colspan="2" | Census 2000
! colspan="2" | Census 2010
! colspan="2" | Census 2020
|- style="background:#e0e0e0;"
! number
! %
! number
! %
! number
! %
! number
! %
! number
! %
! number
! %
! number
! %
|-
| Beijing Municipality
| style="text-align:right;"| 3,768,149
| style="text-align:right;"| 1.48
| style="text-align:right;"| 8,568,495
| style="text-align:right;"| 1.23
| style="text-align:right;"| 9,230,687
| style="text-align:right;"| 3.92
| style="text-align:right;"| 11,819,407
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.95
| style="text-align:right;"| 13,820,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 1.09
| style="text-align:right;"| 19,612,368
| style="text-align:right;"| 1.46
| style="text-align:right;"| 21,893,095
| style="text-align:right;"| 1.55
|-
| [[Hebei]]
| style="text-align:right;"| 35,984,644
| style="text-align:right;"| 6.18
| style="text-align:right;" rowspan="2"| 49,687,781
| style="text-align:right;" rowspan="2"| 6.58
| style="text-align:right;"| 53,005,876
| style="text-align:right;"| 5.26
| style="text-align:right;"| 61,082,439
| style="text-align:right;"| 5.39
| style="text-align:right;"| 67,440,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 5.33
| style="text-align:right;"| 79,854,202
| style="text-align:right;"| 5.36
| style="text-align:right;"| 74,610,235
| style="text-align:right;"| 5.28
|-
| [[Tianjin]] Municipality
| style="text-align:right;"| 2,693,831
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.46
| style="text-align:right;"| 7,764,141
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.77
| style="text-align:right;"| 8,785,402
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.77
| style="text-align:right;"| 10,010,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.79
| style="text-align:right;"| 12,938,224
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.97
| style="text-align:right;"| 13,866,009
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.98
|-
| [[Shanxi]]
| style="text-align:right;"| 14,314,485
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.46
| style="text-align:right;"| 18,015,067
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.59
| style="text-align:right;"| 25,291,389
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.51
| style="text-align:right;"| 28,759,014
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.54
| style="text-align:right;"| 32,970,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.60
| style="text-align:right;"| 35,712,111
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.67
| style="text-align:right;"| 34,915,616
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.47
|-
| [[Inner Mongolia]] Autonomous Region
| style="text-align:right;"| 6,100,104
| style="text-align:right;"| 1.05
| style="text-align:right;"| 12,348,638
| style="text-align:right;"| 1.78
| style="text-align:right;"| 19,274,279
| style="text-align:right;"| 1.91
| style="text-align:right;"| 21,456,798
| style="text-align:right;"| 1.89
| style="text-align:right;"| 23,760,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 1.88
| style="text-align:right;"| 24,706,321
| style="text-align:right;"| 1.84
| style="text-align:right;"| 24,049,155
| style="text-align:right;"| 1.70
|-
| [[Rehe Province|Rehe]] ''(now defunct)''
| style="text-align:right;"| 5,160,822
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.89
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
|-
| [[Liaoning]]
| style="text-align:right;"| 18,545,147
| style="text-align:right;"| 3.18
| style="text-align:right;"| 26,946,200
| style="text-align:right;"| 3.88
| style="text-align:right;"| 35,721,693
| style="text-align:right;"| 3.54
| style="text-align:right;"| 39,459,697
| style="text-align:right;"| 3.48
| style="text-align:right;"| 42,380,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 3.35
| style="text-align:right;"| 43,746,323
| style="text-align:right;"| 3.27
| style="text-align:right;"| 42,591,407
| style="text-align:right;"| 3.02
|-
| [[Jilin]]
| style="text-align:right;"| 11,290,073
| style="text-align:right;"| 1.94
| style="text-align:right;"| 15,668,663
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.26
| style="text-align:right;"| 22,560,053
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.24
| style="text-align:right;"| 24,658,721
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.18
| style="text-align:right;"| 27,280,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.16
| style="text-align:right;"| 27,462,297
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.05
| style="text-align:right;"| 24,073,453
| style="text-align:right;"| 1.71
|-
| [[Heilongjiang]]
| style="text-align:right;"| 11,897,309
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.04
| style="text-align:right;"| 20,118,271
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.90
| style="text-align:right;"| 32,665,546
| style="text-align:right;"| 3.24
| style="text-align:right;"| 35,214,873
| style="text-align:right;"| 3.11
| style="text-align:right;"| 39,890,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.91
| style="text-align:right;"| 38,312,224
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.86
| style="text-align:right;"| 31,850,088
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.26
|-
| Shanghai Municipality
| style="text-align:right;"| 6,204,417
| style="text-align:right;"| 1.06
| style="text-align:right;"| 10,816,458
| style="text-align:right;"| 1.56
| style="text-align:right;"| 11,859,748
| style="text-align:right;"| 1.18
| style="text-align:right;"| 13,341,896
| style="text-align:right;"| 1.18
| style="text-align:right;"| 16,740,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 1.32
| style="text-align:right;"| 23,019,148
| style="text-align:right;"| 1.72
| style="text-align:right;"| 24,870,895
| style="text-align:right;"| 1.76
|-
| [[Jiangsu]]
| style="text-align:right;"| 41,252,192
| style="text-align:right;"| 7.08
| style="text-align:right;"| 44,504,608
| style="text-align:right;"| 6.41
| style="text-align:right;"| 60,521,114
| style="text-align:right;"| 6.00
| style="text-align:right;"| 67,056,519
| style="text-align:right;"| 5.91
| style="text-align:right;"| 74,380,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 5.88
| style="text-align:right;"| 77,659,903
| style="text-align:right;"| 5.87
| style="text-align:right;"| 84,748,016
| style="text-align:right;"| 6.00
|-
| [[Zhejiang]]
| style="text-align:right;"| 22,865,747
| style="text-align:right;"| 3.92
| style="text-align:right;"| 28,318,573
| style="text-align:right;"| 4.08
| style="text-align:right;"| 38,884,603
| style="text-align:right;"| 3.86
| style="text-align:right;"| 41,445,930
| style="text-align:right;"| 3.66
| style="text-align:right;"| 46,770,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 3.69
| style="text-align:right;"| 54,426,891
| style="text-align:right;"| 4.06
| style="text-align:right;"| 64,567,588
| style="text-align:right;"| 4.57
|-
| [[Anhui]]
| style="text-align:right;"| 30,343,637
| style="text-align:right;"| 5.21
| style="text-align:right;"| 31,241,657
| style="text-align:right;"| 4.50
| style="text-align:right;"| 49,665,724
| style="text-align:right;"| 4.93
| style="text-align:right;"| 56,180,813
| style="text-align:right;"| 4.96
| style="text-align:right;"| 59,860,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 4.73
| style="text-align:right;"| 59,500,510
| style="text-align:right;"| 4.44
| style="text-align:right;"| 61,027,171
| style="text-align:right;"| 4.32
|-
| [[Fujian]]
| style="text-align:right;"| 13,142,721
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.26
| style="text-align:right;"| 16,757,223
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.41
| style="text-align:right;"| 25,931,106
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.57
| style="text-align:right;"| 30,097,274
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.65
| style="text-align:right;"| 34,710,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.74
| style="text-align:right;"| 36,894,216
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.75
| style="text-align:right;"| 41,540,086
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.94
|-
| [[Jiangxi]]
| style="text-align:right;"| 16,772,865
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.88
| style="text-align:right;"| 21,068,019
| style="text-align:right;"| 3.03
| style="text-align:right;"| 33,184,827
| style="text-align:right;"| 3.29
| style="text-align:right;"| 37,710,281
| style="text-align:right;"| 3.33
| style="text-align:right;"| 41,400,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 3.27
| style="text-align:right;"| 44,567,475
| style="text-align:right;"| 3.33
| style="text-align:right;"| 45,188,635
| style="text-align:right;"| 3.20
|-
| [[Shandong]]
| style="text-align:right;"| 48,876,548
| style="text-align:right;"| 8.39
| style="text-align:right;"| 55,519,038
| style="text-align:right;"| 7.99
| style="text-align:right;"| 74,419,054
| style="text-align:right;"| 7.38
| style="text-align:right;"| 84,392,827
| style="text-align:right;"| 7.44
| style="text-align:right;"| 90,790,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 7.17
| style="text-align:right;"| 95,793,065
| style="text-align:right;"| 7.15
| style="text-align:right;"| 101,527,453
| style="text-align:right;"| 7.19
|-
| [[Henan]]
| style="text-align:right;"| 44,214,594
| style="text-align:right;"| 7.59
| style="text-align:right;"| 50,325,511
| style="text-align:right;"| 7.25
| style="text-align:right;"| 74,422,739
| style="text-align:right;"| 7.38
| style="text-align:right;"| 85,509,535
| style="text-align:right;"| 7.54
| style="text-align:right;"| 92,560,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 7.31
| style="text-align:right;"| 94,023,567
| style="text-align:right;"| 7.02
| style="text-align:right;"| 99,365,519
| style="text-align:right;"| 7.04
|-
| [[Hubei]]
| style="text-align:right;"| 27,789,693
| style="text-align:right;"| 4.77
| style="text-align:right;"| 33,709,344
| style="text-align:right;"| 4.85
| style="text-align:right;"| 47,804,150
| style="text-align:right;"| 4.74
| style="text-align:right;"| 53,969,210
| style="text-align:right;"| 4.76
| style="text-align:right;"| 60,280,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 4.76
| style="text-align:right;"| 57,237,740
| style="text-align:right;"| 4.27
| style="text-align:right;"| 57,752,557
| style="text-align:right;"| 4.09
|-
| [[Hunan]]
| style="text-align:right;"| 33,226,954
| style="text-align:right;"| 5.70
| style="text-align:right;"| 37,182,286
| style="text-align:right;"| 5.35
| style="text-align:right;"| 54,008,851
| style="text-align:right;"| 5.36
| style="text-align:right;"| 60,659,754
| style="text-align:right;"| 5.35
| style="text-align:right;"| 64,440,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 5.09
| style="text-align:right;"| 65,683,722
| style="text-align:right;"| 4.90
| style="text-align:right;"| 66,444,864
| style="text-align:right;"| 4.71
|-
| [[Guangdong]]
| style="text-align:right;" rowspan="2"| 34,770,059
| style="text-align:right;" rowspan="2"| 5.97
| style="text-align:right;" rowspan="2"| 42,800,849
| style="text-align:right;" rowspan="2"| 6.16
| style="text-align:right;" rowspan="2"| 59,299,220
| style="text-align:right;" rowspan="2"| 5.88
| style="text-align:right;" rowspan="2"| 62,829,236
| style="text-align:right;" rowspan="2"| 5.54
| style="text-align:right;"| 86,420,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 6.83
| style="text-align:right;"| 104,303,132
| style="text-align:right;"| 7.79
| style="text-align:right;"| 126,012,510
| style="text-align:right;"| 8.93
|-
| [[Hainan]]
| style="text-align:right;"| 7,870,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.62
| style="text-align:right;"| 8,671,518
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.65
| style="text-align:right;"| 10,081,232
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.71
|-
| [[Guangxi]] Zhuang Autonomous Region
| style="text-align:right;"| 19,560,822
| style="text-align:right;"| 3.36
| style="text-align:right;"| 20,845,017
| style="text-align:right;"| 3.00
| style="text-align:right;"| 36,420,960
| style="text-align:right;"| 3.61
| style="text-align:right;"| 42,245,765
| style="text-align:right;"| 3.73
| style="text-align:right;"| 44,890,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 3.55
| style="text-align:right;"| 46,026,629
| style="text-align:right;"| 3.55
| style="text-align:right;"| 50,126,804
| style="text-align:right;"| 3.55
|-
| [[Sichuan]]
| style="text-align:right;"| 62,303,999
| style="text-align:right;"| 10.69
| style="text-align:right;"| 67,956,490
| style="text-align:right;"| 9.78
| style="text-align:right;"| 99,713,310
| style="text-align:right;"| 9.89
| style="text-align:right;"| 107,218,173
| style="text-align:right;"| 9.46
| style="text-align:right;"| 83,290,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 6.58
| style="text-align:right;"| 80,418,200
| style="text-align:right;"| 6.00
| style="text-align:right;"| 83,674,866
| style="text-align:right;"| 5.93
|-
| [[Chongqing]] Municipality{{NoteTag|Part of Sichuan until 1997.}}
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"| 30,900,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.44
| style="text-align:right;"| 28,846,170
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.15
| style="text-align:right;"| 32,054,159
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.27
|-
| [[Guizhou]]
| style="text-align:right;"| 15,037,310
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.58
| style="text-align:right;"| 17,140,521
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.47
| style="text-align:right;"| 28,552,997
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.83
| style="text-align:right;"| 32,391,066
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.86
| style="text-align:right;"| 35,250,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.78
| style="text-align:right;"| 34,746,468
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.59
| style="text-align:right;"| 38,562,148
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.73
|-
| [[Yunnan]]
| style="text-align:right;"| 17,472,737
| style="text-align:right;"| 3.00
| style="text-align:right;"| 20,509,525
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.95
| style="text-align:right;"| 32,553,817
| style="text-align:right;"| 3.23
| style="text-align:right;"| 36,972,610
| style="text-align:right;"| 3.26
| style="text-align:right;"| 42,880,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 3.39
| style="text-align:right;"| 45,966,239
| style="text-align:right;"| 3.43
| style="text-align:right;"| 47,209,277
| style="text-align:right;"| 3.34
|-
| [[Tibet]] Autonomous Region
| style="text-align:right;"| 1,273,969
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.22
| style="text-align:right;"| 1,251,225
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.18
| style="text-align:right;"| 1,892,393
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.19
| style="text-align:right;"| 2,196,010
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.19
| style="text-align:right;"| 2,620,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.21
| style="text-align:right;"| 3,002,166
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.22
| style="text-align:right;"| 3,648,100
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.26
|-
| [[Xikang]] ''(now defunct)''
| style="text-align:right;"| 3,381,064
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.58
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
|-
| [[Shaanxi]]
| style="text-align:right;"| 15,881,281
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.73
| style="text-align:right;"| 20,766,915
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.99
| style="text-align:right;"| 28,904,423
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.87
| style="text-align:right;"| 32,882,403
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.90
| style="text-align:right;"| 36,050,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.85
| style="text-align:right;"| 37,327,378
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.79
| style="text-align:right;"| 39,528,999
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.80
|-
| [[Gansu]]
| style="text-align:right;"| 12,093,600
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.06
| style="text-align:right;"| 12,630,569
| style="text-align:right;"| 1.82
| style="text-align:right;"| 19,569,261
| style="text-align:right;"| 1.94
| style="text-align:right;"| 22,371,141
| style="text-align:right;"| 1.97
| style="text-align:right;"| 25,620,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 2.02
| style="text-align:right;"| 25,575,254
| style="text-align:right;"| 1.91
| style="text-align:right;"| 25,019,831
| style="text-align:right;"| 1.77
|-
| [[Ningxia]] Hui Autonomous Region
| style="text-align:right;"| 1,506,200
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.26
| style="text-align:right;"| 2,107,500
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.30
| style="text-align:right;"| 3,895,578
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.39
| style="text-align:right;"| 4,655,451
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.41
| style="text-align:right;"| 5,620,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.44
| style="text-align:right;"| 6,301,350
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.47
| style="text-align:right;"| 7,202,654
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.51
|-
| [[Qinghai]]
| style="text-align:right;"| 1,676,534
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.29
| style="text-align:right;"| 2,145,604
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.31
| style="text-align:right;"| 3,895,706
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.39
| style="text-align:right;"| 4,456,946
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.39
| style="text-align:right;"| 5,180,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.41
| style="text-align:right;"| 5,626,722
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.42
| style="text-align:right;"| 5,923,957
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.42
|-
| [[Xinjiang]] Uygur Autonomous Region
| style="text-align:right;"| 4,873,608
| style="text-align:right;"| 0.84
| style="text-align:right;"| 7,270,067
| style="text-align:right;"| 1.05
| style="text-align:right;"| 13,081,681
| style="text-align:right;"| 1.30
| style="text-align:right;"| 15,155,778
| style="text-align:right;"| 1.34
| style="text-align:right;"| 19,250,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 1.52
| style="text-align:right;"| 21,813,334
| style="text-align:right;"| 1.63
| style="text-align:right;"| 25,852,345
| style="text-align:right;"| 1.83
|-
| Military personnel
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"| 4,238,210
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"| 3,199,100
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"| 2,500,000
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"| 2,300,000
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"| 2,000,000
| style="text-align:right;"|
|-
| Population with permanent residence difficult to define
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"|
| style="text-align:right;"| 4,649,985
| style="text-align:right;"|
|- style="background:#e0e0e0;"
! style="text-align:left;"| Total China
! colspan="2" | 582,603,417
! colspan="2" | 694,581,759
! colspan="2" | 1,008,175,288
! colspan="2" | 1,133,682,501
! colspan="2" | 1,265,830,000
! colspan="2" | 1,339,724,852
! colspan="2" | 1,411,778,724
|}

===Structure of the population===
Census population of China by age and sex:
<gallery mode="packed">
File:China Sex by Age 1953 census.png|China population pyramid as of 1st National Census day on June 30, 1953
File:China Sex By Age 1964 census.png|China population pyramid as of 2nd National Census day on July 1, 1964
File:China Sex By Age 1982 census.png|China population pyramid as of 3rd National Census day on July 1, 1982
File:China Sex By Age 1990 census.png|China population pyramid as of 4th National Census day on July 1, 1990
File:China Sex By Age 2000 census.png|China population pyramid as of 5th National Census day on November 1, 2000
File:China Sex By Age 2010 census.png|China population pyramid as of 6th National Census day on November 1, 2010
File:China_population_sex_by_age_on_Nov,_1st,_2020.png|China population pyramid as of 7th National Census day on November 1, 2020
File:China_population_pyramid_projected_for_2030.png|China population pyramid as projected of 8th National Census day on November 1, 2030, in scenario of constant TFR at 2021 level and continued improvements in mortality
</gallery>
[[File:China population pyramid from 1950 to 2022.gif|thumb|279x279px|Population pyramid of China from 1950 to 2022]]
[[File:China population pyramid from 2023 to 2100.gif|thumb|277x277px|[[Aging of China|Age structure projections]] for China up to 2100]]
Population by Sex and Age Group ([[2010 Chinese census|as of November 01, 2010]]). For statistical purposes, the data for China do not include those for [[Hong Kong]] and [[Macau]]. Data exclude 2.3 million servicemen, 4.65 million persons with permanent resident status difficult to define, and 0.12 per cent undercount based on the post enumeration survey:<ref>{{cite web |url=https://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic-social/products/dyb/dyb_2019/ |title=UNSD — Demographic and Social Statistics |access-date=26 May 2022 |archive-date=14 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220414025155/https://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic-social/products/dyb/dyb_2019/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right;"
|-
! Age Group
! Male
! Female
! Total
! %
|-
| Total
| 682 329 104
| 650 481 765 
| 1 332 810 869
| {{percentage bar|100}}
|-
| 0–4
| 41 062 566
| 34 470 044
| 75 532 610
| {{percentage bar|5.67}}
|-
| 5–9
| 38 464 665 
| 32 416 884
| 70 881 549
| {{percentage bar|5.32}}
|-
| 10–14
| 40 267 277
| 34 641 185
| 74 908 462
| {{percentage bar|5.62}}
|-
| 15–19
| 51 904 830
| 47 984 284
| 99 889 114
| {{percentage bar|7.49}}
|-
| 20–24
| 64 008 573
| 63 403 945
| 127 412 518
| {{percentage bar|9.56}}
|-
| 25–29
| 50 837 038
| 50 176 814
| 101 013 852
| {{percentage bar|7.58}}
|-
| 30–34
| 49 521 822
| 47 616 381
| 97 138 203
| {{percentage bar|7.29}}
|-
| 35–39
| 60 391 104
| 57 634 855
| 118 025 959
| {{percentage bar|8.86}}
|-
| 40–44
| 63 608 678
| 61 145 286
| 124 753 964
| {{percentage bar|9.36}}
|-
| 45–49
| 53 776 418
| 51 818 135
| 105 594 553
| {{percentage bar|7.92}}
|-
| 50–54
| 40 363 234
| 38 389 937
| 78 753 171
| {{percentage bar|5.91}}
|-
| 55–59
| 41 082 938
| 40 229 536
| 81 312 474
| {{percentage bar|6.10}}
|-
| 60–64
| 29 834 426
| 28 832 856
| 58 667 282
| {{percentage bar|4.40}}
|-
| 65–69
| 20 748 471
| 20 364 811
| 41 113 282
| {{percentage bar|3.08}}
|-
| 70–74
| 16 403 453
| 16 568 944
| 32 972 397
| {{percentage bar|2.47}}
|-
| 75–79
| 11 278 859
| 12 573 274
| 23 852 133
| {{percentage bar|1.79}}
|-
| 80–84
| 5 917 502
| 7 455 696
| 13 373 198
| {{percentage bar|1.00}}
|-
| 85–89
| 2 199 810
| 3 432 118
| 5 631 928
| {{percentage bar|0.42}}
|-
| 90–94
| 530 872
| 1 047 435
| 1 578 307
| {{percentage bar|0.12}}
|-
| 95–99
| 117 716
| 252 263
| 369 979
| {{percentage bar|0.03}}
|-
| 100+
| 8 852
| 27 082
| 35 934
| {{percentage bar|0.01|<0.01%}}
|-
! Age group
! Male
! Female
! Total
! Percent
|-
| 0–14
| 119 794 508
| 101 528 113
| 221 322 621
| {{percentage bar|16.61}}
|-
| 15–64
| 505 329 061
| 487 232 029
| 992 561 090
| {{percentage bar|74.47}}
|-
| 65+
| 57 205 535
| 61 721 623
| 118 927 158
| {{percentage bar|8.92}}
|}

{{GraphChart
| width = 450
| height = 150
| xAxisTitle=year
| yAxisTitle= million
| yAxisMin=
| yGrid= 0,1
| xGrid= 10
| legend=
| type = line
| x = 1950,1951,1952,1953,1954,1955,1956,1957,1958,1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1975,1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999,2000,2001,2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022

| y1= 546.8, 557.5, 568.9, 581.4, 595.3, 608.7, 621.5, 637.4, 653.2, 666, 667.1, 660.3, 665.8, 682.3, 698.4, 715.2, 735.4, 754.5, 774.5, 796, 818.3, 841.1, 862, 881.9, 900.4, 916.4, 930.7, 943.5, 956.2, 969, 981.2, 993.9, 1008.1, 1020.2, 1034.8, 1045.3, 1066.8, 1084, 1101.6, 1118.7, 1135.2, 1150.8, 1165, 1178.4, 1191.8, 1204.9, 1217.5, 1230.1, 1241.9, 1252.7, 1262.6, 1271.8, 1280.4, 1288.4, 1296.1, 1303.7, 1311, 1317.9, 1324.7, 1331.4, 1337.8, 1344.1, 1353.8, 1360.7, 1367.8, 1374.6, 1382.7, 1390.1, 1395.4, 1400, 1411.1, 1412.4, 1411.8

| y1Title= population (million)

}}
{{GraphChart
| width = 450
| height = 150
| xAxisTitle=years
| yAxisTitle= ‰
| yAxisMin=
| yGrid= 0,1
| xGrid= 10
| hAnnotatonsLine=0
| hAnnotatonsLabel=
| legend=
| type = line
| x = 1950,1951,1952,1953,1954,1955,1956,1957,1958,1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1975,1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999,2000,2001,2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022

| y1=  19.0, 20.0, 20.0, 23.0, 24.79, 20.32, 20.50, 23.23, 17.24, 10.19, -4.57, 3.78, 26.99, 33.33, 27.64, 28.38, 26.22, 25.53, 27.38, 26.08, 25.83, 23.33, 22.16, 20.89, 17.48, 15.69, 12.66, 12.06, 12.00, 11.61, 11.87, 14.55, 15.68, 13.29, 13.08, 14.26, 15.57, 16.61, 15.73, 15.04, 14.39, 12.98, 11.60, 11.46, 11.21, 10.55, 10.41, 10.06, 9.14, 8.18, 7.58, 6.95, 6.45, 6.01, 5.87, 5.89, 5.28, 5.17, 5.08, 4.87, 4.79, 6.13, 7.43, 5.90, 6.71, 4.95, 6.53, 5.58, 3.78, 3.32, 1.45, 0.34, -0.60
| y1Title=natural change (per 1000)

}}

===Urbanization===
[[File:New Chinese city (11359603824).jpg|thumb|left|Urban construction work in [[Guangshui]], 2013]]
{{Main|Urbanization in China}}

Urbanization increased in speed following the initiation of the reform and opening policy. By the end of 2024, 67% of the total population lived in urban areas, a rate that rose from 26% in 1990.<ref>{{Cite news |date=17 January 2025 |title=中国人口连续三年下降 去年减少139万人 |trans-title=China's population has declined for three consecutive years, with a decrease of 1.39 million people last year |url=https://www.zaobao.com.sg/realtime/china/story20250117-5747402 |access-date=18 January 2025 |work=[[Lianhe Zaobao]]}}</ref>
{{Clear}}