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According to information published by the National Bureau of Statistics of China, at the end of 2025, the population of China was 1 billion 404.89 million people. This is 3.39 million less than at the end of 2024.
During 2025, the country registered 7.92 million newborns, significantly lower than 9.54 million in the previous year. The birth rate was 5.63 per thousand population, while the number of deaths reached 11.31 million. In 2024, this figure was 10.93 million, leading to a mortality rate of 8.04 per thousand. Thus, the natural decline in population was 2.41 per thousand. In the demographic breakdown, there are 716.85 million men and 688.04 million women.
Population aging has become one of the most noticeable trends in China, where 323.38 million people are aged over 60, accounting for 23% of the total population. The process of urbanization continues: the number of urban residents increased by 10.3 million, reaching 953.8 million (67.9%), while the rural population decreased by 13.69 million to 451.09 million.
Reuters reports that China's population has been declining for the fourth consecutive year, and in 2025, the rate of this decline reached a record high. The number of newborns was the lowest in decades, creating additional difficulties for Beijing in its efforts to stimulate domestic consumption.
