Economy / Urbanization
China Urbanization: The Greatest Migration in History
From 1949 to 2024, China went from 89% rural to 67% urban — over 800 million people moved from the countryside to cities.
Urban % (2024)
67%
Urban Pop (2024)
9.4B
Urban % (1949)
10.6%
| Year | Total (10K) | Urban (10K) | Urban % | Rural % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | 54,167 | 5,765 | 10.64% | 89.36% |
| 1950 | 55,196 | 6,169 | 11.18% | 88.82% |
| 1951 | 56,300 | 6,632 | 11.78% | 88.22% |
| 1955 | 61,465 | 8,285 | 13.48% | 86.52% |
| 1960 | 66,207 | 13,073 | 19.75% | 80.25% |
| 1965 | 72,538 | 13,045 | 17.98% | 82.02% |
| 1970 | 82,992 | 14,424 | 17.38% | 82.62% |
| 1975 | 92,420 | 16,030 | 17.34% | 82.66% |
| 1978 | 96,259 | 17,245 | 17.92% | 82.08% |
| 1980 | 98,705 | 19,140 | 19.39% | 80.61% |
| 1985 | 105,851 | 25,094 | 23.71% | 76.29% |
| 1990 | 114,333 | 30,195 | 26.41% | 73.59% |
| 1995 | 121,121 | 35,174 | 29.04% | 70.96% |
| 2000 | 126,743 | 45,906 | 36.22% | 63.78% |
| 2001 | 127,627 | 48,064 | 37.66% | 62.34% |
| 2002 | 128,453 | 50,212 | 39.09% | 60.91% |
| 2003 | 129,227 | 52,376 | 40.53% | 59.47% |
| 2004 | 129,988 | 54,283 | 41.76% | 58.24% |
| 2005 | 130,756 | 56,212 | 42.99% | 57.01% |
| 2006 | 131,448 | 58,288 | 44.34% | 55.66% |
| 2007 | 132,129 | 60,633 | 45.89% | 54.11% |
| 2008 | 132,802 | 62,403 | 46.99% | 53.01% |
| 2009 | 133,450 | 64,512 | 48.34% | 51.66% |
| 2010 | 134,091 | 66,978 | 49.95% | 50.05% |
| 2011 | 134,916 | 69,927 | 51.83% | 48.17% |
| 2012 | 135,922 | 72,175 | 53.1% | 46.9% |
| 2013 | 136,726 | 74,502 | 54.49% | 45.51% |
| 2014 | 137,646 | 76,738 | 55.75% | 44.25% |
| 2015 | 138,326 | 79,302 | 57.33% | 42.67% |
| 2016 | 139,232 | 81,924 | 58.84% | 41.16% |
| 2017 | 140,011 | 84,343 | 60.24% | 39.76% |
| 2018 | 140,541 | 86,433 | 61.5% | 38.5% |
| 2019 | 141,008 | 88,426 | 62.71% | 37.29% |
| 2020 | 141,212 | 90,220 | 63.89% | 36.11% |
| 2021 | 141,260 | 91,425 | 64.72% | 35.28% |
| 2022 | 141,175 | 92,071 | 65.22% | 34.78% |
| 2023 | 140,967 | 93,267 | 66.16% | 33.84% |
| 2024 | 140,828 | 94,350 | 67% | 33% |
The Scale of China's Urban Migration
In 1949, only 57.65 million Chinese lived in cities (10.6%). By 2024, 943.5 million people live in urban areas (67%). This movement of roughly 800+ million people is the largest migration in human history.
The pace accelerated after Deng Xiaoping's economic reforms in 1978. Between 1978 and 2024, urban population grew from 172 million to 943 million — adding about 17 million new urban residents per year on average.
Key Milestones
- 2011: Urban population exceeded rural for the first time (51.8%)
- 2020: Urbanization reached 63.9%
- 2024: 67% urban, 33% rural
Source: National Bureau of Statistics, China Statistical Yearbook 2025.