China's urban population (% of total population) was 66.34% in 2025, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 9.01 percentage points from 57.33% in 2015.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 66.34% | 2025 |
| Five years earlier | 63.52% | 2020 |
| Ten years earlier | 57.33% | 2015 |
| Highest | 66.34% | 2025 |
| Lowest | 16.84% | 1963 |
| Average since 2016 | 63.45% | 2016–2025 |
| First recorded | 19.75% | 1960 |
What the numbers say
In 2025, China's urban population (% of total population) rose 0.45 percentage points on 2024 (from 65.89% to 66.34%).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +1.25 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.44 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.8 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 2.6 percentage points in 2011 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.97 percentage points in 1962. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2016 to 2025 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.82 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 94% of the movement over 10 observed years.
Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.
How it compares
In 2025, China had the 102nd highest value of the 217 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| China | 66.34% | 2025 |
| World | 57.83% | 2025 |
| East Asia & Pacific | 64.77% | 2025 |
| Upper middle income | 68.23% | 2025 |
Closest to China in the 2025 ranking
What this measures
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. The data are collected and smoothed by United Nations Population Division.
Limitations: Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverage. Most countries use an urban classification related to the size or characteristics of settlements. Some define urban areas based on the presence of certain infrastructure and services. And other countries designate urban areas based on administrative arrangements. Because of national differences in the characteristics that distinguish urban from rural areas, the distinction between urban and rural population is not amenable to a single definition that would be applicable to all countries.
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.
All 66 values
| Year | Urban population (% of total population) |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 66.34 |
| 2024 | 65.89 |
| 2023 | 65.53 |
| 2022 | 65.22 |
| 2021 | 64.72 |
| 2020 | 63.52 |
| 2019 | 62.71 |
| 2018 | 61.5 |
| 2017 | 60.24 |
| 2016 | 58.84 |
| 2015 |
Urban population (% of total population) in nearby economies
- American Samoa — 80.51% (2025)
- Australia — 87.72% (2025)
- Brunei Darussalam — 75.01% (2025)
- Cambodia — 41.11% (2025)
- Fiji — 59.54% (2025)
- French Polynesia — 61.76% (2025)
- Guam — 94.22% (2025)
- Hong Kong SAR, China — 100% (2025)
- Indonesia — 59.39% (2025)
- Japan — 92.3% (2025)
More environment data for China
- Population in largest city — 30.48 million (2025)
- Population in the largest city (% of urban population) — 3.27% (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million — 460.16 million (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million (% of total population) — 32.72% (2025)
- Rural population — 473.41 million (2025)
- Rural population (% of total population) — 33.66% (2025)
- Urban population — 933.17 million (2025)
- Aquaculture production (metric tons) — 81.95 million (2024)
- Capture fisheries production (metric tons) — 13.26 million (2024)
- Total fisheries production (metric tons)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is China's urban population (% of total population)?
- 66.34% in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1960?
- It is up 46.6 percentage points from 19.75% in 1960. The highest value was 66.34% in 2025 and the lowest 16.84% in 1963.
- How does China rank?
- 102nd highest of 217 economies with data for 2025.
- Is the latest change in urban population (% of total population) unusual for China?
- In 2025, China's urban population (% of total population) rose 0.45 percentage points on 2024 (from 65.89% to 66.34%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +1.25 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.44 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.8 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), uri: https://population.un.org/wup/, note: United Nations Population Division's World Urbanization Prospects, National definitions, publisher: UN Population Division Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.
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