Population by labor force status in China
China: Population by labor force status was 218.18 million people in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
218.18 million people
Change on year
down 4.0%
World rank
2nd
of 186 countries
All-time high
337.07 million people
in 1993
All-time low
218.18 million people
in 2025
Years of data
35
1991–2025
Population by labor force status in China, 1991–2025
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
In 2025, population by labor force status in China stood at 218.18 million people. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of down 4.0% on the previous year and down 14.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population by labor force status in China peaked at 337.07 million people in 1993 and was at its lowest, 218.18 million people, in 2025.
That places China 2nd out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Population by labor force status in China, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 335.42 million people | — |
| 1992 | 336.44 million people | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 337.07 million people | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 336.52 million people | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 334.73 million people | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 331.75 million people | -0.9% |
| 1997 | 326.90 million people | -1.5% |
| 1998 | 321.90 million people | -1.5% |
| 1999 | 317.23 million people | -1.5% |
| 2000 | 311.61 million people | -1.8% |
| 2001 | 304.42 million people | -2.3% |
| 2002 | 295.06 million people | -3.1% |
| 2003 | 285.35 million people | -3.3% |
| 2004 | 275.87 million people | -3.3% |
| 2005 | 265.86 million people | -3.6% |
| 2006 | 258.24 million people | -2.9% |
| 2007 | 254.16 million people | -1.6% |
| 2008 | 251.65 million people | -1.0% |
| 2009 | 250.32 million people | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 249.69 million people | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 249.50 million people | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 250.59 million people | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 252.43 million people | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 254.39 million people | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 255.75 million people | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 257.01 million people | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 259.21 million people | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 260.08 million people | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 259.05 million people | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 256.06 million people | -1.2% |
| 2021 | 250.79 million people | -2.1% |
| 2022 | 244.02 million people | -2.7% |
| 2023 | 236.00 million people | -3.3% |
| 2024 | 227.20 million people | -3.7% |
| 2025 | 218.18 million people | -4.0% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 218.18 million people is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.99 million people, 109.7× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- China's 218.18 million people is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.11 million people, 196.6× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 330.89 million people | 317.23 million people | 337.07 million people | 9 |
| 2000s | 275.25 million people | 250.32 million people | 311.61 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 254.77 million people | 249.50 million people | 260.08 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 238.71 million people | 218.18 million people | 256.06 million people | 6 |
Countries ranked near China
More work & labour data for China
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -1.65 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -1.74 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -1.57 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -2.11 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate -0.0615 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 1.12 million 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 275,362 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 319,567 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 326,230 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 645,797 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population by labor force status in China?
- Population by labor force status in China was 218.18 million people in 2025, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest population by labor force status recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 337.07 million people in 1993.
- What is the lowest population by labor force status recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 218.18 million people in 2025.
- How does China rank for population by labor force status?
- China ranks 2nd out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population by labor force status rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Population by labor force status. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Population below working age (under 15 years old).