Data and reports

Adolescence, which takes place during the ages of 10–19 years, marks the beginning of many transitions – from childhood to adulthood, from school to the workplace and into society. Adolescents experience monumental changes in every aspect of their lives – physically, cognitively, emotionally and socially. Understanding the population status of adolescents can assist the government, communities and families to better respond to the specific characteristics and needs of adolescents with appropriate policies, services and support for them to reach their full potential and prepare for the future. The population census is a rich source of foundational data on adolescents, reflecting the key characteristics of sub-groups. Analysis of census data can enhance understanding of the challenges faced by adolescents and help inform more evidence-based decision making to address these challenges towards the realization of their rights. This publication describes and analyses the status of China’s adolescent population, using data from the 2020 National Population Census, previous censuses and population sample surveys.

Highlights: The population census is a rich source of foundational data on children, reflecting demographic changes and the key characteristics of sub-groups. Analysis of census data can enhance understanding of the challenges faced by children and help inform more evidence-based decision making to address these challenges towards the realization of child rights. This publication describes and analyses the status of China's child population, using data from the 2020 National Population Census, previous censuses and population sample surveys.

In July 2011, the State Council promulgated the China National Program for Women's Development (2011- 2020) and the China National Program for Child Development (2011-2020), hereinafter the NPA-Women and the NPA-Children, respectively. The two NPAs put forward targets to achieve for women and children by 2020 in the areas of health, education, economy, participation in decision-making and management, social security, welfare, environment and legal protection. By the end of 2020, new historic achievements were realized for women and children in the above-mentioned areas, and the key targets were achieved on schedule. Notably, the status of women in society has significantly improved, and the environment for child development has been further enhanced. Referencing relevant statistics, this document presents data and charts on the development of women and children, and the achievements made towards the two NPAs in the past decade.

The healthy development of children is the basis for positive human and social development. In recent years, while great improvements have been made in the survival and development of China's large population of children, noticeable internal disparities remain. Factors such as rapid socio-economic transformation, unbalanced regional development, and mass internal migration have resulted in survival and development challenges for many children. The censuses and surveys are rich sources of basic data and information on children, reflecting the demographic changes over time and the key characteristics of sub-groups. Analysis of census data can support enhanced understanding of the challenges faced by children and help inform more evidence-based decision making to address these challenges towards the fulfilment of child rights. This publication describes and analyzes the status of China's child population, based on data from the 2015 1% National Population Sample Survey and previous censuses and inter-census surveys. Data Sources: The data in this publication mainly comes from the 2015 1% National Population Sample Survey conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) of China, as well as from previous censuses and inter-census surveys. Currently, China conducts a national census every ten years, with six censuses conducted to date, in 1953, 1964, 1982, 1990, 2000 and 2010. China conducts an inter-census population survey in the middle year between two censuses, with a sampling fraction of 1% (also called “mini-census”). The two most recent inter-census surveys were conducted in 2005 and 2015.

China is a multi-ethnic country comprising 56 ethnic groups, including Han and 55 ethnic minority groups. In 2015, the number of ethnic minority children aged 0–17 in China was 31.11 million, accounting for 11.5 per cent of the total child population. This fact sheet describes and analyzes the status of China’s ethnic minority children, based on data from the 2015 1% National Population Sample Survey conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics of China.

Adolescence, which takes places during the ages of 10 to 19 years, marks the beginning of many transitions – from childhood to adulthood, from school to the workplace and into society. Adolescents experience monumental changes in every aspect of their lives – physically, cognitively, emotionally and socially. Understanding the population status of adolescents can assist governments, communities and families to better respond to the specific characteristics and needs of adolescents by providing appropriate policies, services and support to enable them to reach their full potential and prepare for the future. Censuses and surveys are rich sources of basic data and information on adolescents, reflecting the demographic development and the key characteristics of the different sub-groups. Analysis of the available data can support enhanced understanding of the challenges faced by adolescents and help inform more evidence-based decision making to address these challenges towards the fulfilment of their rights. This publication describes and analyzes the status of China’s adolescent population, based on data from the 2015 1% National Population Sample Survey and previous censuses and inter-census surveys conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics of China.

Over the last five years, UNICEF China has kept its commitment to children’s rights at the centre of its work. We are proud of our impact. We have improved the health, development and protection of children, and we have always focused on the most vulnerable. We have seen UNICEF’s Barefoot Social Worker model develop from an experimental project into a programme that is being adapted and rolled out to every village in China. Our Conditional Cash Transfer programme, which provided subsidies on request to pregnant women and children under 1 year of age, saw an increase in the uptake of 9 essential maternal and child health services – from 73 per cent in 2013 to almost 82 per cent in 2018. The most vulnerable groups benefited most from this programme. Our success depends on our partnerships. UNICEF has productive relationships with key partners in the government who are working towards the same goals of upholding children’s rights. We are also building our partnerships with academia, the private sector and with civil society, so that we can do more, and reach more children and youth. We are committed to leaving no child behind – whether they are a girl or a boy, a child with a disability, or a child from a particular economic, ethnic, or religious background. We will build on what we have achieved so far, until all girls and boys in China have the opportunity to fulfil their potential.

What the Government of China wants for the most disadvantaged children The Government's Twelfth Five-Year Plan (2011–2015) prioritizes universal access to essential public services and recognizes challenges in access for the most disadvantaged girls and boys (such as orphans, children with disabilities and children whose parents migrate without them for urban jobs). At the Third Plenum of the Eighteenth Central Committee (in 2013), leaders called for reforms to improve income distribution and to narrow the gaps in the Government's delivery of public services. How UNICEF helps translate those ambitions into results for Chinese children UNICEF provides evidence and global insights on: • inclusive social policy reform for the poorest and the most disadvantaged children; • children's survival and growth; • safe water, sanitation and hygiene in schools, health facilities and communities; • early childhood development; • quality education in child-friendly schools; • protection of children from violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation; • non-discrimination and support to children affected by HIV or AIDS; and • disaster risk reduction programming that builds up resilience among children and communities. The UNICEF programme of cooperation in China is divided into five sections that revolve around improving children's chances of survival and helping them achieve their full growth potential: • Health, Nutrition, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene • Education and Child Development • Child Protection • Children Affected by HIV and AIDS • Social Policy and Reform for Children UNICEF activities aim to benefit the most disadvantaged and hardest-to-reach children and women in China.

Children are future of the world and the state of their well-being lays the foundation for the future of population and societies. Understanding the facts and figures of the status of China's child population can help to inspire thoughts and actions for creating a better future for children. Based on data from the 2015 1% National Population Sample Survey and previous censuses and inter-census surveys on the description and analyses of the status of China's child population, the National Bureau of Statistics of China, UNICEF and UNFPA jointly published Population Status of Children in China in 2015: Facts and Figures.

The data presented in PART I of this factsheet is mainly from the Sixth Population Census conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics of China (NBS) in 2010, as well as from previous NBS censuses. The data source of PART II is the China Household Ethnicity Survey (CHES) conducted by the Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the School of Economics of Minzu University in seven Provinces/Autonomous Regions, including Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Qinghai, Xinjiang, Guangxi, Guizhou and Hunan in 2011. The data in PART III is from the 5th National Health Services Survey (NHSS) conducted by the National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC) in 2013. This factsheet has been developed on the basis of following two data analysis papers supported by UNICEF China Office: PART I, a paper prepared by Dr. Lv Lidan of Peking University during her consultancy with UNICEF China which has been published in the Population and Development (vol. 22, no. 1, 2016), using Population Census data provided by the Department of Population and Employment Statistics of NBS; PART II, a paper using CHES data co-authored by Dr. Lv Lidan during her consultancy with UNICEF China, Mr. Chen Xinzhi of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences during his internship with UNICEF China, and Ms. Xu Man of University of Minnesota during her internship with the Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The paper is entitled “Language, education and health of children in rural minority areas of seven western provinces” and published as book chapter in Chinese Household Ethnicity Survey 2013.

Four in 10 of the world's people will be African by the end of this century Africa has experienced a marked increase in its population in last few decades. Its current population is five times its size in 1950. And the continent's rapid population expansion is set to continue, with its inhabitants doubling from 1.2 billion to 2.4 billion between…