Rural population in China
China: Rural population was 33.7% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rural population in China, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
In 2025, rural population in China stood at 33.7%. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is down 1.3% on the previous year and down 21.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in China peaked at 83.2% in 1963 and was at its lowest, 33.7%, in 2025.
That places China 117th out of 217 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Rural population in China, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 80.3% | — |
| 1961 | 80.7% | +0.6% |
| 1962 | 82.7% | +2.4% |
| 1963 | 83.2% | +0.6% |
| 1964 | 81.7% | -1.8% |
| 1965 | 82.0% | +0.4% |
| 1966 | 82.1% | +0.2% |
| 1967 | 82.3% | +0.1% |
| 1968 | 82.4% | +0.1% |
| 1969 | 82.5% | +0.1% |
| 1970 | 82.6% | +0.1% |
| 1971 | 82.7% | +0.1% |
| 1972 | 82.9% | +0.2% |
| 1973 | 82.8% | -0.1% |
| 1974 | 82.8% | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 82.7% | -0.2% |
| 1976 | 82.6% | -0.1% |
| 1977 | 82.4% | -0.1% |
| 1978 | 82.1% | -0.4% |
| 1979 | 81.0% | -1.3% |
| 1980 | 80.6% | -0.5% |
| 1981 | 79.8% | -0.9% |
| 1982 | 79.4% | -0.5% |
| 1983 | 78.4% | -1.3% |
| 1984 | 77.0% | -1.8% |
| 1985 | 76.3% | -0.9% |
| 1986 | 75.5% | -1.1% |
| 1987 | 74.7% | -1.1% |
| 1988 | 74.2% | -0.7% |
| 1989 | 73.8% | -0.5% |
| 1990 | 73.8% | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 73.1% | -1.0% |
| 1992 | 72.5% | -0.7% |
| 1993 | 72.0% | -0.7% |
| 1994 | 71.5% | -0.7% |
| 1995 | 71.0% | -0.7% |
| 1996 | 69.5% | -2.0% |
| 1997 | 68.1% | -2.1% |
| 1998 | 66.6% | -2.1% |
| 1999 | 65.2% | -2.1% |
| 2000 | 63.6% | -2.5% |
| 2001 | 62.3% | -1.9% |
| 2002 | 60.9% | -2.3% |
| 2003 | 59.5% | -2.4% |
| 2004 | 58.2% | -2.1% |
| 2005 | 57.0% | -2.1% |
| 2006 | 55.7% | -2.4% |
| 2007 | 54.1% | -2.8% |
| 2008 | 53.0% | -2.0% |
| 2009 | 51.7% | -2.6% |
| 2010 | 50.8% | -1.7% |
| 2011 | 48.2% | -5.1% |
| 2012 | 46.9% | -2.6% |
| 2013 | 45.5% | -3.0% |
| 2014 | 44.2% | -2.8% |
| 2015 | 42.7% | -3.6% |
| 2016 | 41.2% | -3.5% |
| 2017 | 39.8% | -3.4% |
| 2018 | 38.5% | -3.2% |
| 2019 | 37.3% | -3.1% |
| 2020 | 36.5% | -2.2% |
| 2021 | 35.3% | -3.3% |
| 2022 | 34.8% | -1.4% |
| 2023 | 34.5% | -0.9% |
| 2024 | 34.1% | -1.1% |
| 2025 | 33.7% | -1.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 82.0% | 80.3% | 83.2% | 10 |
| 1970s | 82.5% | 81.0% | 82.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 77.0% | 73.8% | 80.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 70.3% | 65.2% | 73.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 57.6% | 51.7% | 63.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 43.5% | 37.3% | 50.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 34.8% | 33.7% | 36.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near China
More agriculture & rural data for China
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 1.98 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0666 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 923.03 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -1.48 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3366 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 6.7% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 6.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.3% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 2.7% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in China?
- Rural population in China was 33.7% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 83.2% in 1963.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 33.7% in 2025.
- How does China rank for rural population?
- China ranks 117th out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 21.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Rural population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population.