Population by labor force status in China
China: Population by labor force status was 218.18 million people in 2025. ▼ Falling
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.
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
- Legislation on sexual harassment in employment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Criminal sanctions or compensation for workplace sexual harassment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Women can take the same jobs as men 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 64.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 69.9% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 84.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 59.1% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15-6 74.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 78.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 69.6% (2025)
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).