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China — Population growth
Population Growth (Annual %) for China, 1961–2025.
Latest value · 2025
-0.17%
Population Growth (Annual %) · annual % · +83.3% since 1961
Population growth for China was -0.17% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 65 years, from 1961 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 2.79% in 1966. The lowest was -1.02% in 1961 (about 6.0× the latest value).
China ranks 188 of 217 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 87%. The median for East Asia & Pacific is 0.64%, so China sits below it. It peaked in 1966 and has fallen 106% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved down 129%.
Key figures
Latest (2025)
-0.17%
First (1961)
-1.02%
Change
+83.3%
Highest
2.79%
in 1966
Lowest
-1.02%
in 1961
Average
1.15%
Annual growth (CAGR)
—
Years of data
65
Recent years
| Year | annual % |
|---|---|
| 2025 | -0.17% |
| 2024 | -0.12% |
| 2023 | -0.1% |
| 2022 | -0.01% |
| 2021 | 0.09% |
| 2020 | 0.24% |
| 2019 | 0.35% |
| 2018 | 0.47% |
| 2017 | 0.61% |
| 2016 | 0.57% |
| 2015 | 0.58% |
| 2014 | 0.63% |
Reading this correctly. Annual population growth rate. A negative value means the population shrank, usually through emigration or low birth rates. Figures are in annual %. Comparing this series with a different measure of the same concept (for example a nominal figure against a purchasing-power-parity figure) will give misleading results.
Related data
Source. World Bank Open Data, indicator
SP.POP.GROW — Population Growth (Annual %). Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.