E.g., 06/10/2026
E.g., 06/10/2026
Country Resource - China

China

CN
  • Population...................................................................1,416,043,270 (2024 est.)
  • Population growth rate ............................................................0.23% (2024 est.)
  • Birth rate....................................................10.2 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
  • Death rate..................................................7.7 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
  • Net migration rate...............................-0.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
  • Ethnic groups*..............................Han Chinese 91.1%, ethnic minorities 8.9% (includes Zhang, Hui, Manchu, Uighur, Miao, Yi, Tujia, Tibetan, Mongol, Dong, Buyei, Yao, Bai, Korean, Hani, Li, Kazakh, Dai, and other nationalities) (2021 est.)

* The PRC officially recognizes 56 ethnic groups

CIA World Factbook

Image of man on steps in front of China Import and Export Fair in Guangzhou, China

China has a long history of international migration. Movement was sharply interrupted following the 1949 revolution but has rebounded in recent decades. Since 1979, the country has developed from one of mostly limited migration into one that is in many ways defined through its global interactions, although it continues to treat migration warily, as this country profile explains.

Recent Activity

Students in a lecture hall.

The United States remains the top destination for Chinese students studying internationally, although numbers have declined significantly in recent years. Most Chinese students at U.S. colleges and universities say they have experienced discrimination, and those who have are much more likely to want return to China, according to survey data contained in this article.

Map of North and South Korea

As the number of defections from North to South Korea has declined, South Korea has struggled to respond to a new trend: a rising number of children born during defectors' long stays in China or other third country. As this article explains, these children automatically become South Korean citizens upon arrival but are not eligible for the range of government benefits designed to support defectors, leaving many to fall through the cracks. 

Image of a family in San Francisco

Nearly one-third of all immigrants in the United States come from Asia, more than any other region except Latin America. Compared to both the U.S. born and overall foreign-born population, immigrants from Asia tend to have higher levels of education and income. This article offers useful statistics about this group, which represents a growing share of the U.S. immigrant population.

A scientific researcher at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

Chinese immigrants comprise the third largest foreign-born group in the United States, although numbers declined slightly following the COVID-19 pandemic's outbreak. Historical arrivals of laborers from China in the 19th century prompted some of the first U.S. immigration restrictions, but recent immigrants have tended to be better educated and earn higher incomes than the U.S. born. This article provides a wealth of data about this group.

A sign for a Chinese restaurant in Lima's Chinatown district.

Immigration from China and Japan to Peru in the 19th and 20th centuries has had a lasting impact on the South American country. These immigrants arrived to fill labor market needs, but later encountered a backlash from native Peruvians. Now, amid an influx of Venezuelans fleeing political strife and economic collapse, the past may be repeating itself. This article provides an overview of historical Asian migration to Peru, drawing a parallel to recent experiences with Venezuelans.

People walk through the streets of Hong Kong

Hong Kong finds itself in the middle of opposing trends. Amid political unrest, Beijing's increasing security pressure, and pandemic disruptions, many Hong Kongers have left and been replaced by a new group of immigrants, largely from mainland China. The dynamic has raised questions whether Hong Kong will remain a global cosmopolitan hub or instead turn inward to Asia, as this article discusses.

A temple in Dharamsala, India.

The number of Tibetan refugees in India, Nepal, and Bhutan has been on a steady decline since the mid-2000s, posing a threat to the future of an exile community that has developed a robust governance, cultural, educational, and religious structure. While the Tibetan government-in-exile has become a model for displaced communities, a series of factors have contributed to the shrinking population in South Asia, as this article describes.

A woman crying in her room.

An unknown number of women and girls from Southeast Asia have gone to China to marry Chinese men. Many go voluntarily, hoping for a better quality of life for themselves and their families. But some are deceived into their situation and are victims of human trafficking. This article takes a look at the phenomenon of marriage migration spurred by China's gender imbalance.

A health worker from the Philippines.

Countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany are increasingly relying on immigrant health-care workers to fill gaps in their workforce and care for aging populations. That has created opportunities for many foreign-born doctors and nurses, but could harm their origin countries. This article examines the dynamics of global health-care worker migration, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

People in a business meeting.

The number of Chinese immigrants in the United States had grown swiftly for decades but shrank amid the COVID-19 pandemic. As a whole, Chinese immigrants tend to have more education and higher salaries than other immigrants, although they are less likely to be fluent in English. This article provides a sociodemographic profile of Chinese immigrants in the United States, their top destination globally.

Pages

Cover image for International Student Mobility report
Reports
April 2025

International education has become a lucrative business, with more countries competing to attract tertiary-level students. But after years of growth, attitudes appear to be shifting in some major destinations, amid concerns about the sustainability of large admissions of international students. This report explores these evolving mobility trends and attitudes, as well as pressing questions about the future of the international education sector.

Cover image for Mobility Shutdown
Reports
March 2024

Some of the strictest COVID-19 pandemic-era limits on human mobility occurred in the Asia Pacific region. Border closures started in East and Southeast Asia in early 2020 and quickly spread through the entire region, in some cases remaining in place for more than two years. This report examines the approaches countries took and reflects on the immense costs and benefits of using border measures to tackle public-health risks.

Cover image for COVID-19 and the State of Global Mobility in 2021
Reports
May 2022

Despite high hopes that international movement would be revived in 2021 after the deep chill in 2020 with designation of a global pandemic, cross-border mobility remained limited as migrants and travelers faced complex rules, high costs, and uncertainty as new COVID-19 variants emerged. This report assesses global mobility in 2021, including changing use of travel restrictions, their impacts on mobile populations, and efforts to safely restart migration and travel.

coverthumb_covid19 global mobility 2020
Reports
April 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically curtailed cross-border mobility in 2020, affecting travelers and migrants around the world. This report presents a first-of-its-kind analysis of the many thousands of travel restrictions and border closures imposed by governments to curb the spread of the virus. It examines how these policies evolved, varied across countries and regions, and what these trends may mean for the future of international movement.

Managing the Pandemic and Its Aftermath: Economies, Jobs, and International Migration in the Age of COVID-19
Reports
November 2020

Around the world, governments are grappling with how to combat the COVID-19 pandemic while also managing the economic fallout of policies put in place to stop the virus’ spread. Global migration has dropped sharply amid border closures and travel restrictions. This reflection takes stock of policy responses to the pandemic thus far, and of the challenges (and some opportunities) on the horizon for migration systems, labor markets, and integration of newcomers.

Coverthumb TCM Competitiveness CouncilStatement
Reports
July 2019

As technological developments—from automation to artificial intelligence and machine learning—reshape the world of work, governments face the challenge of updating how they attract, select, and retain economic-stream immigrants. This report, concluding a series on building migration systems for a new age of economic competitiveness, lays out the key considerations for "future-proofing" immigrant selection systems.

coverthumb tcmchina
Reports
February 2016

This report analyzes the evolution of Chinese emigration from the 1970s, when market-oriented reforms began reducing barriers to movement beyond the country's borders, to the present day. High-skilled and high-value emigration is rising fast. Despite liberalized exit controls, low-skilled labor migration is stagnant as a result of complicated and expensive recruitment procedures.

cover TCM_Hugo_Paper
Reports
October 2008

This report looks at the trends and emerging demographics in Asia. From 1960 to 2000, the region experienced a major population boom, however, by 2040, the 15-to-34 age group population will start to shrink.

cover TCM_White_Paper
Reports
October 2008

China and India are major players in international migration. Both countries have very large populations that will continue to grow in the coming years. The available pool of potential migrants from China and India will remain high although population size and density (known as demographic variability) will change from year to year in both countries.

Cover HLD Hugo
Policy Briefs
September 2013
Circular migration has typically been viewed with skepticism by migrant-rights advocates and wary publics alike. But many experts and policymakers in the migration field — and some in development — have come to recognize that well-managed circulation that is respectful of migrants' human and labor rights can bring benefits to countries of origin and destination, as well as to migrants themselves. For countries of origin, circular migration can relieve labor surpluses; for destination countries, it can provide the flexibility to quickly overcome skills shortages while adapting to long-term labor market shifts. For migrants, circular migration offers the opportunity to earn higher wages and gain international experience.
Cover_IOM MPI IIB7
Policy Briefs
November 2012

This brief explores how governments in Asia are facilitating diaspora contributions, including creation of conducive legal frameworks and diaspora-centered institutions to initiation of programs that specifically target diasporas as development actors.