01
Physical geography
Mostly mountains, high plateaus, deserts in west; plains, deltas, and hills in east.
Local timeBeijing ·
Asia / Eastern Asia · Card 009
China
China is a country in Eastern Asia. Its capital is Beijing.
Find China
● Capital · Gold highlights this card’s area.
Map: Natural Earth. Boundaries show geographic context, not a position on sovereignty. Small islands may use enlarged markers.
Map: Natural Earth. Boundaries show geographic context, not a position on sovereignty. Small islands may use enlarged markers.
At a glance
- Capital
- Beijing
- Languages
- Standard Chinese (Mandarin)
- Currency
- Chinese yuan (CNY)
- Population
- 1406.6 million2025 · World Bank
- Area
- 9,706,961 km²3,747,877 square miles
- People’s Republic founded
- 1949
China in context
Asia and its surrounding regions. The dot marks Beijing; the mapped territory is highlighted in gold.
Natural Earth · locator mapGeography & languages
02
Languages
Standard Chinese is the national common language. Many other Chinese varieties and minority languages are spoken; regional language provisions vary.
03
Location
Eastern Asia, bordering the East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea, and South China Sea, between North Korea and Vietnam.
Flag
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
History & status
China’s imperial era began with Qin unification in 221 BCE and ended with the fall of the Qing dynasty in 1912. Following civil war, the People’s Republic of China was proclaimed in 1949. Reforms beginning in 1978 expanded market activity and international trade while Communist Party rule continued.
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Republic replaces the Qing dynasty
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People’s Republic of China proclaimed
-
Economic reform era begins
Economy
Main activities
Manufacturing, services, construction and agriculture form a large, diverse economy. Electronics, machinery and many consumer goods are major exports; domestic consumption and investment are also important.
Industry and production
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
Population & economic trends
Dated World Bank observations. Population uses selected years; real GDP uses all available annual observations.
Population, 1970–2025
Millions of people1406.62025 · millions of people
Population estimates may be revised. Selected years are shown.
Sources: World Bank · Population
View data table
| Year | People | Millions of people |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 818,315,000 | 818.315 |
| 1980 | 981,235,000 | 981.235 |
| 1990 | 1,135,185,000 | 1,135.185 |
| 2000 | 1,262,645,000 | 1,262.645 |
| 2010 | 1,337,705,000 | 1,337.705 |
| 2020 | 1,411,100,000 | 1,411.100 |
| 2025 | 1,406,585,000 | 1,406.585 |
Real GDP, 1990–2025
Billions of constant 2015 US dollars19401.32025 · billions of constant 2015 US dollars
Constant prices adjust for inflation. This is total economic output, not current-dollar GDP or income per person. Missing years are left as gaps.
Sources: World Bank · Real GDP
View data table
| Year | Constant 2015 US$ | Billions of constant 2015 US dollars |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1,041,177,931,705 | 1,041.178 |
| 1991 | 1,138,794,946,993 | 1,138.795 |
| 1992 | 1,301,615,550,876 | 1,301.616 |
| 1993 | 1,482,879,870,958 | 1,482.880 |
| 1994 | 1,676,880,778,213 | 1,676.881 |
| 1995 | 1,861,596,132,618 | 1,861.596 |
| 1996 | 2,047,258,472,826 | 2,047.258 |
| 1997 | 2,237,604,266,166 | 2,237.604 |
| 1998 | 2,414,901,854,973 | 2,414.902 |
| 1999 | 2,601,845,161,729 | 2,601.845 |
| 2000 | 2,824,916,263,543 | 2,824.916 |
| 2001 | 3,060,063,619,717 | 3,060.064 |
| 2002 | 3,342,692,586,002 | 3,342.693 |
| 2003 | 3,680,766,226,630 | 3,680.766 |
| 2004 | 4,054,011,719,388 | 4,054.012 |
| 2005 | 4,518,338,478,814 | 4,518.338 |
| 2006 | 5,091,050,723,394 | 5,091.051 |
| 2007 | 5,811,473,655,332 | 5,811.474 |
| 2008 | 6,373,372,030,110 | 6,373.372 |
| 2009 | 6,972,857,785,771 | 6,972.858 |
| 2010 | 7,711,401,293,676 | 7,711.401 |
| 2011 | 8,441,058,131,257 | 8,441.058 |
| 2012 | 9,104,341,297,809 | 9,104.341 |
| 2013 | 9,812,516,071,430 | 9,812.516 |
| 2014 | 10,544,628,617,503 | 10,544.629 |
| 2015 | 11,280,814,787,469 | 11,280.815 |
| 2016 | 12,044,942,062,504 | 12,044.942 |
| 2017 | 12,874,987,827,480 | 12,874.988 |
| 2018 | 13,745,054,545,709 | 13,745.055 |
| 2019 | 14,579,018,970,009 | 14,579.019 |
| 2020 | 14,920,095,680,401 | 14,920.096 |
| 2021 | 16,198,805,195,732 | 16,198.805 |
| 2022 | 16,706,452,162,504 | 16,706.452 |
| 2023 | 17,611,274,170,444 | 17,611.274 |
| 2024 | 18,484,494,644,732 | 18,484.495 |
| 2025 | 19,401,316,126,585 | 19,401.316 |
Human development
The Human Development Index combines health, education and income. Scores range from 0 to 1.
HDI · 20230.797High human developmentRank 78 of 193 · 2025 report
Human Development Index over time
19900.491
20000.598
20100.710
20200.786
20230.797
78.0 yearsLife expectancy at birth
8.0 yearsMean schooling, adults aged 25+
The latest values refer to 2023. All historical scores use the same report edition. HDI does not describe every aspect of inequality or quality of life.
Sources: UNDP · Human Development Report 2025
Government
Communist party-led state. National People's Congress (Quanguo Renmin Daibiao Dahui) has one chamber (a unicameral legislature).
Knowledge check
Three questions about China.
QUESTION 1 OF 3
Which currency is listed for China?
Sources & notes
Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile
Prepared 24 September 2026. World Bank series: SP.POP.TOTL (persons) and NY.GDP.MKTP.KD (constant 2015 US dollars); downloaded 24 September 2026, provider update 13 July 2026. UNDP values use the 2025 report and 2023 observation year. These are dated statistical snapshots, not live population or economic counters.
Maps use Natural Earth geographic data. Background geography, flag descriptions and selected historical facts use archived public-domain CIA World Factbook profiles, supplemented by the sources linked above. The Factbook is no longer updated; dated statistics here come from the separately named providers.