Map of China | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
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Background: China's historical civilization dates to at least the 13th century B.C., first under the Shang (to 1046 B.C.) and then the Zhou (1046-221 B.C.) dynasties. The imperial era of China began in 221 B.C. under the Qin Dynasty and lasted until the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1912. During this period, China alternated between periods of unity and disunity under a succession of imperial dynasties. In the 19th century, the Qing Dynasty suffered heavily from overextension by territorial conquest, insolvency, civil war, imperialism, military defeats, and foreign expropriation of ports and infrastructure. It collapsed following the Revolution of 1911, and China became a republic under SUN Yat-sen of the Kuomintang (KMT or Nationalist) Party. However, the republic was beset by division, warlordism, and continued foreign intervention. In the late 1920s, a civil war erupted between the ruling KMT-controlled government, led by CHIANG Kai-shek, and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Japan occupied much of northeastern China in the early 1930s, and then launched a full-scale invasion of the country in 1937. The resulting eight years of warfare devastated the country and cost up to 20 million Chinese lives by the time of Japan’s defeat in 1945. The Nationalist-Communist civil war continued with renewed intensity after the end of World War II and culminated with a CCP victory in 1949, under the leadership of MAO Zedong. MAO and the CCP established an autocratic socialist system that, while ensuring the PRC's sovereignty, imposed strict controls over everyday life and launched agricultural, economic, political, and social policies -- such as the Great Leap Forward (1958-1962) and the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) -- that cost the lives of millions of people. MAO died in 1976. Beginning in 1978, leaders DENG Xiaoping, JIANG Zemin, and HU Jintao focused on market-oriented economic development and opening up the country to foreign trade, while maintaining the rule of the CCP. Since the change, China has been among the world’s fastest growing economies, with real gross domestic product averaging over 9% growth annually through 2021, lifting an estimated 800 million people out of poverty and dramatically improving overall living standards. By 2011, the PRC’s economy was the second largest in the world. Current leader XI Jinping has continued these policies but has also maintained tight political controls. Over the past decade, China has increased its global outreach, including military deployments, participation in international organizations, and a global connectivity plan in 2013 called the 'Belt and Road Initiative' (BRI). Many nations have signed on to BRI agreements to attract PRC investment, but others have expressed concerns about such issues as the opaque nature of the projects, financing, and potentially unsustainable debt obligations. XI Jinping assumed the positions of General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and Chairman of the Central Military Commission in 2012 and President in 2013. In 2018, the PRC’s National People’s Congress passed an amendment abolishing presidential term limits, which allowed XI to gain a third five-year term in 2023.


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Location

Geographic coordinates

Map reference

Area
Total: 9,596,960 km²
Land: 9,326,410 km²
Water: 270,550 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than the US

Land boundaries
Total: 22,457 km
Border countries (14): (14) Afghanistan 91 km; Bhutan 477 km; Burma 2,129 km; India 2,659 km; Kazakhstan 1,765 km; North Korea 1,352 km; Kyrgyzstan 1,063 km; Laos 475 km; Mongolia 4,630 km; Nepal 1,389 km; Pakistan 438 km; Russia (northeast) 4,133 km; and Russia (northwest) 46 km; Tajikistan 477 km; Vietnam 1,297 km

Coastline: 14,500 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Climate: extremely diverse; tropical in south to subarctic in north

Terrain: mostly mountains, high plateaus, deserts in west; plains, deltas, and hills in east

Elevation
Highest point: Mount Everest (highest peak in Asia and highest point on earth above sea level) 8,849 m
Lowest point: Turpan Pendi (Turfan Depression) -154 m
Mean elevation: 1,840 m

Natural resources

Land use
Agricultural land: 55.3% (2023 est.)
Arable land: 11.6% (2023 est.)
Permanent crops: 2.1% (2023 est.)
Permanent pasture: 41.7% (2023 est.)
Forest: 23.8% (2023 est.)
Other: 20.6% (2023 est.)

Irrigated land: 690,070 km² (2012)

Major rivers: Yangtze - 6,300 km; Huang He - 5,464 km; Amur river source (shared with Mongolia and Russia [m]) - 4,444 km; Lancang Jiang (Mekong) river source (shared with Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam [m]) - 4,350 km; Yarlung Zangbo Jiang (Brahmaputra) river source (shared with India and Bangladesh [m]) - 3,969 km; Yin-tu Ho (Indus) river source (shared with India and Pakistan [m]) - 3,610 km; Nu Jiang (Salween) river source (shared with Thailand and Burma [m]) - 3,060 km; Irrawaddy river source (shared with Burma [m]) - 2,809 km; Zhu Jiang (Pearl) (shared with Vietnam [s]) - 2,200 km; Yuan Jiang (Red river) source (shared with Vietnam [m]) - 1,149 km
Note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: frequent typhoons (about five per year along southern and eastern coasts); damaging floods; tsunamis; earthquakes; droughts; land subsidence
Volcanism: China contains some historically active volcanoes including Changbaishan (also known as Baitoushan, Baegdu, or P'aektu-san), Hainan Dao, and Kunlun although most have been relatively inactive in recent centuries

Geography
Note note 1: world's fourth largest country (after Russia, Canada, and the US) and largest country situated entirely in Asia; Mount Everest, on the border with Nepal, is the world's tallest peak above sea level
Note note 2: the largest cave chamber in the world is the Miao Room, in the Gebihe cave system at China's Ziyun Getu He Chuandong National Park, which encloses about 10.78 million m³ (380.7 million cu ft); the world's largest sinkhole is the Xiaoxhai Tiankeng sinkhole in Chongqing Municipality, which is 660 m deep, with a volume of 130 million m³


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Population
Total: 1,416,043,270 (2024 est.)
Male: 722,201,504
Female: 693,841,766
Distribution: overwhelming majority of the population is found in the eastern half of the country; the west, with its vast mountainous and desert areas, remains sparsely populated; though ranked first in the world in total population, overall density is less than that of many Asian and European countries; high population density is found along the Yangtze and Yellow River valleys, the Xi Jiang River delta, the Sichuan Basin (around Chengdu), in and around Beijing, and the industrial area around Shenyang
Growth rate: 0.23% (2024 est.)

Nationality

Ethnic groups

Languages: Standard Chinese or Mandarin (official; Putonghua, based on the Beijing dialect), Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghainese), Minbei (Fuzhou), Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka dialects, minority languages; note - Zhuang is official in Guangxi Zhuang, Yue is official in Guangdong, Mongolian is official in Nei Mongol, Uyghur is official in Xinjiang Uygur, Kyrgyz is official in Xinjiang Uyghur, and Tibetan is official in Xizang (Tibet)
Major-language sample(s): ; 世界概況 – 不可缺少的基本消息來源 (Standard Chinese); The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Religions: folk religion 21.9%, Buddhist 18.2%, Christian 5.1%, Muslim 1.8%, Hindu < 0.1%, Jewish < 0.1%, other 0.7% (includes Daoist (Taoist)), unaffiliated 52.1% (2021 est.)
Note: officially atheist

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 16.3% (male 122,644,111/female 107,926,176)
15-64 years: 69.3% (male 505,412,555/female 476,599,793)
65 years and over: 14.4% (2024 est.) (male 94,144,838/female 109,315,797)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 43.9 (2024 est.)
Youth dependency ratio: 23.2 (2024 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio: 20.7 (2024 est.)
Potential support ratio: 4.8 (2024 est.)
Note: data do not include Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan

Median age
Total: 40.2 years (2024 est.)
Male: 39 years
Female: 41.5 years

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

Population distribution: overwhelming majority of the population is found in the eastern half of the country; the west, with its vast mountainous and desert areas, remains sparsely populated; though ranked first in the world in total population, overall density is less than that of many Asian and European countries; high population density is found along the Yangtze and Yellow River valleys, the Xi Jiang River delta, the Sichuan Basin (around Chengdu), in and around Beijing, and the industrial area around Shenyang

Urbanization
Urban population: 64.6% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 1.78% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Note: data do not include Hong Kong and Macau

Major urban areas
Population: 29.211 million Shanghai, 21.766 million BEIJING (capital), 17.341 million Chongqing, 14.284 million Guangzhou, 14.239 million Tianjin, 13.073 million Shenzhen (2023)

Environment

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.09 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.14 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio: 16 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 6.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male: 6.7 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 5.7 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 78.7 years (2024 est.)
Male: 76 years
Female: 81.7 years

Total fertility rate: 1.55 children born/woman (2024 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source
Urban: 1.6% of population (2022 est.)
Rural: 3.6% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 2.4% of population (2022 est.)

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 0.5% of population (2022 est.)
Rural: 4.7% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 2% of population (2022 est.)

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 2.4% (2013)

Education expenditures

Literacy

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment
Rate (ages 15-24): 4.6% (2024 est.); 4.7% (2023 est.); 5% (2022 est.)
Rate (ages 15-24) note: % of labor force seeking employment


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Country name

Government type

Capital
Name: Beijing
Geographic coordinates: 39 55 N, 116 23 E
Time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Time zone note: China is the largest country (in terms of area) with just one time zone; before 1949 it was divided into five
Etymology: the name comes from the Chinese words bei (north) and jing (capital)

Administrative divisions: 23 provinces (sheng, singular and plural), 5 autonomous regions (zizhiqu, singular and plural), 4 municipalities (shi, singular and plural), and two special administrative regions (tebie xingzhengqu, singular and plural)
Provinces: Anhui, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guizhou, Hainan, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Jilin, Liaoning, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, Zhejiang; (see note on Taiwan)
Autonomous regions: Guangxi, Nei Mongol (Inner Mongolia), Ningxia, Xinjiang Uyghur, Xizang (Tibet)
Municipalities: Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai, Tianjin
Special administrative regions: Hong Kong, Macau
Note: China considers Taiwan its 23rd province; see separate entries for the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau

Dependent areas

Independence

National holiday

Constitution

Legal system: civil law influenced by Soviet and continental European civil law systems; legislature retains power to interpret statutes
Note: in 2020, the National People's Congress adopted the PRC Civil Code, which codifies personal relations and property relations

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

Citizenship

Suffrage

Executive branch
Chief of state: President XI Jinping (since 14 March 2013)
Head of government: Premier LI Qiang (since 11 March 2023)
Cabinet: State Council appointed by National People's Congress
Election/appointment process: president and vice president indirectly elected by National People's Congress; premier nominated by president, confirmed by National People's Congress
Most recent election date: 10 March 2023
2023: XI Jinping reelected president; National People's Congress vote - 2,952 (unanimously); HAN Zheng elected vice president with 2,952 votes; LI Qiang elected premier with 2,936 votes
2018: XI Jinping reelected president; National People's Congress vote - 2,970 (unanimously); WANG Qishan elected vice president with 2,969 votes
Expected date of next election: March 2,028
Note: ultimate authority rests with the Communist Party Central Committee’s 25-member Political Bureau (Politburo) and its seven-member Standing Committee; XI Jinping holds the three most powerful positions as party general secretary, state president, and chairman of the Central Military Commission

Legislative branch
Legislature name: National People's Congress (Quanguo Renmin Daibiao Dahui)
Legislative structure: unicameral
Number of seats: 3,000 (all indirectly elected)
Scope of elections: full renewal
Term in office: 5 years
Most recent election date: 3/5/2023
Percentage of women in chamber: 26.5%
Expected date of next election: March 2,028
Note: in practice, only members of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), its 8 allied independent parties, and CCP-approved independent candidates are elected

Judicial branch

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation

Diplomatic representation

Flag description: red with a large five-pointed yellow star and four smaller ones in the upper-left corner; the small stars are arranged in a vertical arc around the large one

National symbols

National anthem
Title: 'Yiyongjun Jinxingqu' (The March of the Volunteers)
Lyrics/music: TIAN Han/NIE Er
History: adopted 1982; the anthem, which was banned during the Cultural Revolution, is more commonly known as 'Zhongguo Guoge' (Chinese National Song)

National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites: 60 (41 cultural, 15 natural, 4 mixed)
Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (c); Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor (c); The Great Wall (c); Summer Palace, an Imperial Garden in Beijing (c); Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area (n); Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace, Lhasa (c); Ancient Ancient City of Ping Yao (c); Historic Center of Macau (c); Historic Monuments of Dengfeng in “The Centre of Heaven and Earth” (c); The Grand Canal (c); Mount Huangshan (m); Mogao Caves (c); Mount Taishan (m); Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian(c); Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area (n);Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area (n); Ancient Building Complex in the Wudang Mountains (c); Mountain Resort and its Outlying Temples, Chengde (c); Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the Kong Family Mansion in Qufu (c); Lushan National Park (c); Mount Emei Scenic Area, including Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area (m); Classical Gardens of Suzhou (c); Old Town of Lijiang (c); Temple of Heaven: an Imperial Sacrificial Altar in Beijing (c); Dazu Rock Carvings (c); Mount Wuyi (m); Ancient Villages in Southern Anhui – Xidi and Hongcun (c); Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (c); Longmen Grottoes (c); Mount Qingcheng and the Dujiangyan Irrigation System (c); Yungang Grottoes (c); Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas (n); Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Koguryo Kingdom (c); Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries - Wolong, Mt. Siguniang, and Jiajin Mountains (c); Yin Xu (c); Kaiping Diaolou and Villages (c); South China Karst (n); Fujian Tulou (c); Mount Sanqingshan National Park (n); Mount Wutai (c); China Danxia (n); West Lake Cultural Landscape of Hangzhou (c); Chengjiang Fossil Site (n); Site of Xanadu (c); Cultural Landscape of Honghe Hani Rice Terraces(c); Xinjiang Tianshan (n); Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor (c); Tusi Sites (c); Hubei Shennongjia (n); Zuojiang Huashan Rock Art Cultural Landscape (c); Kulangsu, a Historic International Settlement (c); Qinghai Hoh Xil (n); Fanjingshan (n); Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City (c); Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf of China (n); Quanzhou: Emporium of the World in Song-Yuan China (c); Cultural Landscape of Old Tea Forests of the Jingmai Mountain in Pu’er (c); Badain Jaran Desert - Towers of Sand and Lakes (n); Beijing Central Axis: A Building Ensemble Exhibiting the Ideal Order of the Chinese Capital (c); Xixia Imperial Tombs (c)


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Economy overview

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 5% (2024 est.); 5.4% (2023 est.); 3.1% (2022 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real gdp per capita: 5% (2024 est.); 5.4% (2023 est.); 3.1% (2022 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 39.6% (2023 est.)
Government consumption: 17.2% (2023 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 40.5% (2023 est.)
Investment in inventories: 0.6% (2023 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 19.1% (2023 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -17% (2023 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 6.8% (2024 est.)
Industry: 36.5% (2024 est.)
Services: 56.7% (2024 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

Agriculture products

Industries: world leader in gross value of industrial output; mining and ore processing, iron, steel, aluminum, and other metals, coal; machine building; armaments; textiles and apparel; petroleum; cement; chemicals; fertilizer; consumer products (including footwear, toys, and electronics); food processing; transportation equipment, including automobiles, railcars and locomotives, ships, aircraft; telecommunications equipment, commercial space launch vehicles, satellites

Industrial production growth rate: 5.3% (2024 est.)
Note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

Labor force: 773.88 million (2024 est.)
Note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

Unemployment rate: 4.6% (2024 est.); 4.7% (2023 est.); 5% (2022 est.)
Note: % of labor force seeking employment

Youth unemployment
Rate (ages 15-24): 4.6% (2024 est.); 4.7% (2023 est.); 5% (2022 est.)
Rate (ages 15-24) note: % of labor force seeking employment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $2.684 trillion (2022 est.) note: central government revenues (excluding grants) converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated
Expenditures: $4.893 trillion (2019 est.)

Taxes and other revenues: 7.6% (of GDP) (2023 est.)
Note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $3.793 trillion (2024 est.); $3.508 trillion (2023 est.); $3.719 trillion (2022 est.)
Note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
Commodities: broadcasting equipment, computers, integrated circuits, garments, machine parts (2023)
Commodities note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Imports: $3.254 trillion (2024 est.); $3.122 trillion (2023 est.); $3.142 trillion (2022 est.)
Note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars
Commodities: crude petroleum, integrated circuits, iron ore, gold, natural gas (2023)
Commodities note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates


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Electricity
Installed generating capacity: 2.949 billion kW (2023 est.)
Consumption: 8.894 trillion kWh (2023 est.)
Exports: 20.577 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Imports: 7.195 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 325.352 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Access electrification - total population: 100% (2022 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 64.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources nuclear: 4.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources solar: 6.3% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources wind: 9.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 13.3% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 1.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Coal
Production: 4.805 billion metric tons (2023 est.)
Consumption: 5.191 billion metric tons (2023 est.)
Exports: 13.239 million metric tons (2023 est.)
Imports: 401.517 million metric tons (2023 est.)
Proven reserves: 157.041 billion metric tons (2023 est.)

Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 4.984 million bbl/day (2023 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 16.189 million bbl/day (2023 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 26.023 billion barrels (2021 est.)

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Production: 239.402 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Consumption: 395.341 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Exports: 6.025 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Imports: 161.808 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Proven reserves: 6.654 trillion cubic meters (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 12.196 billion metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 9.575 billion metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 1.847 billion metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 774.076 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 113.805 million Btu/person (2023 est.)


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 173.326 million (2023 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 12 (2023 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 1.81 billion (2023 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 125 (2022 est.)

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet
Users percent of population: 78% (2023 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 636 million (2023 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 45 (2023 est.)


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Military expenditures: 1.5% of GDP (2024 est.); 1.5% of GDP (2023 est.); 1.5% of GDP (2022 est.); 1.5% of GDP (2021 est.); 1.7% of GDP (2020 est.)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 552 (2025)

Heliports: 120 (2025)

Pipelines

Railways
Total: 150,000 km (2021) 1.435-m gauge (100,000 km electrified); 104,0000 traditional, 40,000 high-speed

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine
Total: 8,314 (2023)
By type: bulk carrier 1,831, container ship 419, general cargo 1,392, oil tanker 1,196, other 3,476

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs