2025 China Population Survey: 6.32 Million Decrease Over 5 Years

Central News Agency, Taipei, May 22. China's National Bureau of Statistics released the main data from the '2025 National 1% Population Sample Survey' today. Compared to the 7th National Census in 2020, the population in mainland China has decreased by 6,328,724 over five years, marking the first time a population decline has been recorded. Official data shows that China's population has been declining year by year since 2022. The previous one-child policy led to a severe gender imbalance, which has now slightly improved. In the 2025 survey, the male population accounted for 51.03% and the female population for 48.97%. Furthermore, the trend of low birth rates and an aging population is rising, with the population aged 60 and above reaching 22.86%. Meanwhile, education levels have improved, with the number of people with a college degree or higher increasing to 272.33 million. Migration from rural to urban areas is also evident, with 67.74% of the population living in urban areas. The survey covered a sample size of 20.52 million people.