Who moves to China
1.6M people have chosen China for relocation — #44 most popular destination worldwide
Considering a move to China? — See where people come from, regional patterns, and how it's changed since 1990.
Where immigrants come from
The top 3 countries account for 61% of all immigrants
↑↓ — change vs 2020
| Country | Immigrants |
|---|---|
| Hong Kong | 421605 |
| Myanmar | 367052 |
| Taiwan | 170422 |
| Vietnam | 88254 |
| South Korea | 65073 |
| United States | 60434 |
| Macao | 59238 |
| Japan | 40436 |
| Canada | 23177 |
| Russia | 21040 |
| Australia | 13927 |
| United Kingdom | 13630 |
| Germany | 12294 |
| France | 10089 |
| Laos | 9927 |
| Malaysia | 9810 |
| North Korea | 9636 |
| Ukraine | 9603 |
| Singapore | 9088 |
| Pakistan | 8464 |
| India | 7765 |
| Argentina | 7565 |
| Cambodia | 6091 |
| Venezuela | 5886 |
| Philippines | 5817 |
| Thailand | 5498 |
| South Africa | 5129 |
| Nigeria | 4915 |
| Brazil | 4866 |
| Italy | 4682 |
| Yemen | 4407 |
| New Zealand | 3811 |
| Indonesia | 3725 |
| Bangladesh | 3569 |
| Ghana | 3252 |
| Spain | 2945 |
| Zimbabwe | 2913 |
| Netherlands | 2508 |
| Cameroon | 2133 |
| Tanzania | 1967 |
| Belarus | 1913 |
| Kazakhstan | 1862 |
| Zambia | 1737 |
| Ethiopia | 1704 |
| Uzbekistan | 1611 |
| Mexico | 1590 |
| Afghanistan | 1569 |
| Sweden | 1427 |
| Egypt | 1423 |
| Rwanda | 1400 |
| Nepal | 1388 |
| Iran | 1331 |
| Republic of Congo | 1263 |
| Belgium | 1179 |
| Turkmenistan | 1169 |
| Türkiye | 1152 |
| Syria | 1147 |
| Ireland | 1102 |
| DR Congo | 1091 |
| Kenya | 1078 |
| Mongolia | 1078 |
| Morocco | 1026 |
| Austria | 1022 |
| Mali | 960 |
| Colombia | 951 |
| Chile | 930 |
| Uganda | 917 |
| Denmark | 837 |
| Ecuador | 807 |
| Panama | 800 |
| Poland | 798 |
| Sudan | 796 |
| Liberia | 794 |
| Serbia | 771 |
| Peru | 767 |
| Switzerland | 749 |
| Guinea | 724 |
| Madagascar | 705 |
| Tajikistan | 651 |
| Somalia | 638 |
| Equatorial Guinea | 602 |
| Israel | 602 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 591 |
| Cote d'Ivoire | 588 |
| Cuba | 587 |
| Finland | 575 |
| Jamaica | 572 |
| Burundi | 516 |
| Iraq | 482 |
| Jordan | 434 |
| Norway | 398 |
| Algeria | 379 |
| Sri Lanka | 378 |
| Saudi Arabia | 276 |
| Azerbaijan | 222 |
| Mauritius | 198 |
| Bhutan | 113 |
By region of origin
Asia is the leading region of origin at 83%
1.3M
87.6K
83.6K
38.8K
25.3K
17.7K
8.7K
Interesting facts
Notable statistics about immigration in China.
Myanmar is the fastest-growing major source
Immigration from Myanmar has increased by 271% since 2015, rising from 98.9K to 367.1K in 9 years.
China is a primary destination for emigrants from Macao
China attracts 40% of all emigrants from Macao, making it the leading destination for those leaving the country.
Hong Kong is the leading source of immigration by a wide margin
Hong Kong accounts for 27% of all immigrants, far ahead of the second-largest source at just 23%.
A significant share of the population of Macao has settled here
More than 1 in 12 people from Macao now live in China — 59.2K people, representing 8.62% of the population of Macao.
How immigration changed over time
Total immigrant population by year
| Year | Immigrants |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 486492 |
| 1995 | 574185 |
| 2000 | 682239 |
| 2005 | 812788 |
| 2010 | 967866 |
| 2015 | 1070852 |
| 2020 | 1348154 |
| 2024 | 1565013 |
Top sources over time
Immigration from the 5 largest source countries
| Year | Hong Kong | Myanmar | Taiwan | Vietnam | South Korea |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 110881 | 14220 | 82618 | 16874 | 60637 |
| 1995 | 132434 | 17283 | 98007 | 20194 | 71176 |
| 2000 | 158117 | 20570 | 116806 | 24034 | 84711 |
| 2005 | 188659 | 24484 | 139228 | 28607 | 100830 |
| 2010 | 227011 | 30437 | 166008 | 34576 | 118141 |
| 2015 | 290906 | 98893 | 164372 | 52155 | 86238 |
| 2020 | 359011 | 309339 | 155299 | 75187 | 60578 |
| 2024 | 421605 | 367052 | 170422 | 88254 | 65073 |
Fastest-changing origins
How immigration from each country has changed since the selected year
China as a destination, by diaspora
Share of each country's emigrants who settled in China