MigrantoMigration trends in China
Asia
China loses more people than it takes in: 11.7M emigrants against 1.6M immigrants. Net balance −10.1M — 1% of the country's population
1.4B
Population
1.6M
Immigrants
11.7M
Emigrants
−10.1M
Outflow
1 in 900 residents of China was born abroad — and 1 in 121 people born in China lives abroad
#2 in the world by net migration loss
Top corridors
The largest migration flows in China
Key moments
How migration has changed since 1990
1990
486.5K immigrants · 4M emigrants
1995
- Rose into the 3 biggest countries by emigrants in Asia
- The foreign-born population passed 500K residents
2000
- The diaspora passed 5M people
2015
- Surge of departures to South Korea — 366K people left
- The diaspora passed 10M people
- The foreign-born population passed 1M residents
2020
- Surge of immigrants from Myanmar — 210.4K new arrivals
Today
- Since 1990: 1.1M more foreign-born residents and 7.7M more emigrants
Data source: International Migrant Stock 2024 (UN DESA, Population Division)
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