China Urbanization Rate: 1978–2025 2025 (Latest Data & Historical Trends)
China's urbanization rate from 1978 to 2025, tracking the share of urban residents in the total population. The rate rose from 17.92% in 1978 to 67.89% in 2025, crossing 50% in 2011. The National Bureau of Statistics reported 953.8 million urban residents in 2025 and a 0.89 percentage-point increase from 2024. Early historical observations are not available for every year.
Quick Answer
China's Urbanization Rate: 1978–2025 in 2025 was 67.9%. Historical data available from 1978 to 2025, covering 48 years. Data source: National Bureau of Statistics of China.
China Urbanization Rate: 1978–2025
Data table
Latest data preview
Showing the latest 5 observations from 1978 to 2025. Use CSV or API for the complete machine-readable series.
| Period | Value (%) |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 67.89 |
| 2024 | 67.00 |
| 2023 | 66.16 |
| 2022 | 65.22 |
| 2021 | 64.72 |
Show full historical table
| Period | Value (%) |
|---|---|
| 1978 | 17.92 |
| 1980 | 19.39 |
| 1985 | 23.71 |
| 1990 | 26.20 |
| 1995 | 29.04 |
| 2000 | 36.22 |
| 2001 | 37.66 |
| 2002 | 39.09 |
| 2003 | 40.53 |
| 2004 | 41.76 |
| 2005 | 42.99 |
| 2006 | 44.34 |
| 2007 | 45.89 |
| 2008 | 46.99 |
| 2009 | 48.34 |
| 2010 | 49.95 |
| 2011 | 51.27 |
| 2012 | 52.57 |
| 2013 | 53.73 |
| 2014 | 54.77 |
| 2015 | 56.10 |
| 2016 | 57.35 |
| 2017 | 58.52 |
| 2018 | 59.58 |
| 2019 | 60.60 |
| 2020 | 63.89 |
| 2021 | 64.72 |
| 2022 | 65.22 |
| 2023 | 66.16 |
| 2024 | 67.00 |
| 2025 | 67.89 |
About This Dataset
China's urbanization rate from 1978 to 2025, tracking the share of urban residents in the total population. The rate rose from 17.92% in 1978 to 67.89% in 2025, crossing 50% in 2011. The National Bureau of Statistics reported 953.8 million urban residents in 2025 and a 0.89 percentage-point increase from 2024. Early historical observations are not available for every year.
China Urbanization Rate: 1978–2025 in 2025 was 67.9%.The dataset spans 31 data points from 1978 to 2025, updated yearly. It changed from 17.92% in 1978 to 67.89% in 2025.
API
curl https://chinadata.live/api/v2/data/china-urbanization-history 📚 How to Cite This Data
Latest value
67.9%
Citation Format:
China Data Portal (2026). China Urbanization Rate: 1978–2025. Retrieved from https://chinadata.live/data/china-urbanization-history/
Primary Source:
National Bureau of Statistics of China
Data as of:
2025
API Access:
GET https://chinadata.live/api/v2/data/china-urbanization-history Frequently Asked Questions
What is China's urbanization rate in 2025?
China's urbanization rate reached 67.89% in 2025. The National Bureau of Statistics reported 953.8 million urban residents, up 10.3 million from 2024. The rate increased by 0.89 percentage points from 67.00% in 2024.
How fast has China urbanized since 1978?
China's urbanization rate rose from 17.92% in 1978 to 67.89% in 2025, an increase of 49.97 percentage points over 47 years. Early historical observations in this series are not available for every year.
When did China's urban population exceed 50%?
China crossed the 50% urbanization threshold in 2011, when the urban population first exceeded the rural population. This was a historic milestone — for the first time in 5,000 years of Chinese civilization, more people lived in cities than in the countryside.
What drives China's rapid urbanization?
Key drivers include economic reform and opening-up since 1978, industrialization creating factory jobs in cities, massive infrastructure investment (highways, high-speed rail, airports), relaxation of the hukou (household registration) system, and government policy promoting urban development zones and new city districts.
How does China's urbanization compare globally?
The latest NBS observation is 67.89% in 2025, representing 953.8 million urban residents. International comparisons require a matching year and compatible definitions of urban population; this dataset contains China's national series rather than a harmonized global comparison.