Population of China
As of October 2024, the population of China is 1.4 billion. The number of inhabitants has decreased by 629 thousand in the last year, representing a decline of 0.03%. The median age of the population has increased in recent years, rising from 35.3 years in 2014 to 39.5 years in 2024. Currently, life expectancy at birth is 79 years and population density is 148.5 inhabitants per square kilometer.
Population Growth
The population growth rate of China peaked in 1963, reaching around 3.26% annually, but has since declined to approximately -0.04% in 2024. The annual increase in the number of people has also decreased from a peak of around 22.29 million in 1963 to nearly -629.27 thousand in 2024.
Life Expectancy
In China, life expectancy at birth has been increasing, with the indicator rising from 73.7 years in 2004 to 79 years in 2024, representing an increase of more than 5 years over the past 2 decades.
Most populous cities in China
China stands out for its enormous cities, with 7 of them exceeding 10 million inhabitants. The most populous city is Shanghai, with approximately 22.3 million inhabitants. It is followed by Beijing with 19 million and Shenzhen, Guangdong with 17.5 million.
These are the 20 most populous cities in China:
| # | City | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shanghai | 22,315,474 |
| 2 | Beijing | 18,960,744 |
| 3 | Shenzhen, Guangdong | 17,494,398 |
| 4 | Guangzhou, Guangdong | 16,096,724 |
| 5 | Chengdu, Sichuan | 13,568,357 |
| 6 | 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 |
| # | City | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | Hangzhou, Zhejiang | 9,236,032 |
| 12 | Foshan, Guangdong | 9,042,509 |
| 13 | Chongqing | 7,457,599 |
| 14 | Qingdao, Shandong | 7,172,451 |
| 15 | Shenyang, Liaoning | 7,050,000 |
| 16 | Suzhou, Jiangsu | 6,715,559 |
| 17 | Harbin, Heilongjiang | 5,242,897 |
| 18 | Hefei, Anhui | 5,050,000 |
| 19 | Dalian, Liaoning | 4,913,879 |
| 20 | Changchun, Jilin | 4,714,996 |