Africa vs China, mainland: Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population

Africa
1.04 million 1000 No
in 2050
China, mainland
272,509 1000 No
in 2050
Africa rank
4th
China, mainland rank
3rd

Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population over time

  • Africa
  • China, mainland
200.0k400.0k600.0k800.0k1.0M195020002050

How they compare

Africa currently reports 1.04 million 1000 No against 272,509 1000 No in China, mainland, a difference of 766,131 1000 No.

That makes Africa's figure about 3.8 times China, mainland's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 101 shared years of data; in 1950 it was China, mainland ahead.

Africa ranks 4th and China, mainland ranks 3rd of 29 groups.

Across the 11 decades both report, Africa averaged higher in 5 and China, mainland in 6.

Head to head by decade

Decade Africa China, mainland Difference Ahead
1950s 211,279 1000 No 521,412 1000 No 310,132 1000 No China, mainland
1960s 254,203 1000 No 594,903 1000 No 340,699 1000 No China, mainland
1970s 312,299 1000 No 748,774 1000 No 436,476 1000 No China, mainland
1980s 388,208 1000 No 825,648 1000 No 437,440 1000 No China, mainland
1990s 476,876 1000 No 853,526 1000 No 376,650 1000 No China, mainland
2000s 579,219 1000 No 765,643 1000 No 186,424 1000 No China, mainland
2010s 696,582 1000 No 627,920 1000 No 68,662 1000 No Africa
2020s 817,724 1000 No 490,003 1000 No 327,721 1000 No Africa
2030s 924,578 1000 No 379,984 1000 No 544,594 1000 No Africa
2040s 1.01 million 1000 No 305,629 1000 No 701,195 1000 No Africa
2050s 1.04 million 1000 No 272,509 1000 No 766,131 1000 No Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher population - est. & proj. — rural population, Africa or China, mainland?
Africa, at 1.04 million 1000 No against 272,509 1000 No in China, mainland as of 2050.
What is the difference in population - est. & proj. — rural population between Africa and China, mainland?
766,131 1000 No, with Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Africa and China, mainland?
101 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2050.
How do Africa and China, mainland rank globally for population - est. & proj. — rural population?
Africa ranks 4th and China, mainland ranks 3rd of 29 groups.
Where does this data come from?
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Africa vs China, mainland: Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 27 August 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/compare/population-est-and-proj-rural-population/africa/china-mainland/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://labour.statizoid.com/compare/population-est-and-proj-rural-population/africa/china-mainland/">Africa vs China, mainland: Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population
Unit
1000 No
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
277 places, 25,744 data points, 1950–2050
Last refreshed

The FAOSTAT Population module contains time series data on population, by sex and urban/rural. The series consist of both estimates and projections for different periods as available from the original sources, namely: 1. Population data refers to the World Population Prospects: The 2024 Revision from the UN Population Division. 2. Urban/rural population data refers to the World Urbanization Prospects: The 2018 Revision from the UN Population Division.