China
People's Republic of China
Population
1.41B
Area
9,596,960 km²
GDP
$18.74T
GDP Per Capita
$23,800
Pop. Density
147/km²
Quick Facts
Currency
¥Chinese yuan(CNY)
Calling Code
+86
Timezone
UTC+08:00
Languages
Chinese
Driving Side
right
Demonym
Chinese
Background
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.
Historical Trends
GDP (USD)
↑571.5% since 2006Population
↑7.5% since 2006Life Expectancy at Birth
Latest: 78.0 yearsData source: World Bank Open Data
Geography21
Location
Eastern Asia, bordering the East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea, and South China Sea, between North Korea and Vietnam
Geographic coordinates
35 00 N, 105 00 E
Map references
Asia
Area
land: 9,326,410 sq km
water: 270,550 sq km
Area - comparative
slightly smaller than the US
Land boundaries
border countries: 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
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
lowest point: Turpan Pendi (Turfan Depression) -154 m
mean elevation: 1,840 m
Natural resources
coal, iron ore, helium, petroleum, natural gas, arsenic, bismuth, cobalt, cadmium, ferrosilicon, gallium, germanium, hafnium, indium, lithium, mercury, tantalum, tellurium, tin, titanium, tungsten, antimony, manganese, magnesium, molybdenum, selenium, strontium, vanadium, magnetite, aluminum, lead, zinc, rare earth elements, uranium, hydropower potential (world's largest), arable land
Land use
agricultural land
agricultural land: arable land
agricultural land: permanent crops
agricultural land: permanent pasture
forest
other
Irrigated land
690,070 sq km (2012)
Major lakes (area sq km)
salt water lake(s): Quinghai Hu - 4,460 sq km; Nam Co - 2,500 sq km; Siling Co - 1,860 sq km; Tangra Yumco - 1,400 sq km; Bosten Hu 1,380 sq km
Major rivers (by length in km)
note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth
Major watersheds (area sq km)
Indian Ocean drainage: Brahmaputra (651,335 sq km), Ganges (1,016,124 sq km), Indus (1,081,718 sq km), Irrawaddy (413,710 sq km), Salween (271,914 sq km)
Pacific Ocean drainage: Amur (1,929,955 sq km), Huang He (944,970 sq km), Mekong (805,604 sq km), Yangtze (1,722,193 sq km)
Internal (endorheic basin) drainage: Tarim Basin (1,152,448 sq km), Amu Darya (534,739 sq km), Syr Darya (782,617 sq km), Lake Balkash (510,015 sq km)
Major aquifers
North China Aquifer System (Huang Huai Hai Plain), Song-Liao Plain, Tarim Basin
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
Natural hazards
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 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 cu m (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 cu m
People & Society35
Population
male: 716,908,592
female: 690,272,617
Nationality
adjective: Chinese
Ethnic groups
Han Chinese 91.1%, ethnic minorities 8.9% (includes Zhang, Hui, Manchu, Uighur, Miao, Yi, Tujia, Tibetan, Mongol, Dong, Buyei, Yao, Bai, Korean, Hani, Li, Kazakh, Dai, and other nationalities) (2021 est.)
Languages
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.)
Age structure
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
youth dependency ratio: 22.4 (2025 est.)
elderly dependency ratio: 21 (2025 est.)
potential support ratio: 4.8 (2025 est.)
Median age
male: 39 years
female: 41.5 years
Population growth rate
-0.08% (2025 est.)
Birth rate
7.28 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Death rate
7.97 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Net migration rate
-0.11 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
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
rate of urbanization: 1.78% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
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)
Sex ratio
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.)
Maternal mortality ratio
16 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)
Infant mortality rate
male: 6.7 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 5.7 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth
male: 76 years
female: 81.7 years
Total fertility rate
1.2 children born/woman (2025 est.)
Gross reproduction rate
0.57 (2025 est.)
Drinking water source
improved: urban
improved: rural
improved: total
unimproved: urban
unimproved: rural
unimproved: total
Health expenditure
Health expenditure (as % of national budget): 8.8% of national budget (2022 est.)
Physician density
3.11 physicians/1,000 population (2022)
Hospital bed density
5 beds/1,000 population (2020 est.)
Sanitation facility access
improved: urban
improved: rural
improved: total
unimproved: urban
unimproved: rural
unimproved: total
Obesity - adult prevalence rate
6.2% (2016)
Alcohol consumption per capita
beer: 1.66 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine: 0.18 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits: 2.63 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
male: 46.6% (2025 est.)
female: 1.9% (2025 est.)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight
2.4% (2013)
Currently married women (ages 15-49)
69.5% (2021 est.)
Child marriage
women married by age 18: 2.8% (2020)
men married by age 18: 0.7% (2020)
Education expenditure
Education expenditure (% national budget): 11.9% national budget (2023 est.)
Literacy
male: 98.4% (2020 est.)
female: 95.1% (2020 est.)
People - note
in October 2015, the Chinese Government announced that it would change its rules to allow all couples to have two children, loosening a 1979 mandate that restricted many couples to one child; the new policy was implemented on 1 January 2016 to address China’s rapidly aging population and future economic needs
Government23
Country name
conventional long form
conventional short form
local long form
local short form
abbreviation
etymology
Government type
communist party-led state
Capital
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
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
Legal system
civil law influenced by Soviet and continental European civil law systems; legislature retains power to interpret statutes
Constitution
amendment process: proposed by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress or supported by more than one fifth of the National People’s Congress membership; passage requires more than two-thirds majority vote of the Congress membership
International law organization participation
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt
Citizenship
citizenship by descent only: least one parent must be a citizen of China
dual citizenship recognized: no
residency requirement for naturalization: while naturalization is theoretically possible, in practical terms it is extremely difficult; residency is required but not specified
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch
chief of state
head of government
cabinet
election/appointment process
most recent election date
election results
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
Legislative branch
legislature name
legislative structure
number of seats
scope of elections
term in office
most recent election date
percentage of women in chamber
expected date of next election
Judicial branch
judge selection and term of office: chief justice appointed by the People's National Congress (NPC); limited to 2 consecutive 5-year-terms; other justices and judges nominated by the chief justice and appointed by the Standing Committee of the NPC; term of other justices and judges determined by the NPC
subordinate courts: Higher People's Courts; Intermediate People's Courts; District and County People's Courts; Autonomous Region People's Courts; International Commercial Courts; Special People's Courts for military, maritime, transportation, and forestry issues
Political parties
Chinese Communist Party or CCP
Diplomatic representation in the US
chief of mission
chancery
telephone
FAX
email address and website
consulate(s) general
Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission
embassy
mailing address
telephone
FAX
email address and website
consulate(s) general
International organization participation
ADB, AfDB (nonregional member), APEC, Arctic Council (observer), ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner), BIS, BRICS, CDB, CICA, EAS, FAO, FATF, G-20, G-24 (observer), G-5, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINURSO, MONUSCO, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, Pacific Alliance (observer), PCA, PIF (partner), SAARC (observer), SCO, SICA (observer), UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNHRC, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNISFA, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNOCI, UNOOSA, UN Security Council (permanent), UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Independence
1 October 1949 (People's Republic of China established); notable earlier dates: 221 B.C. (unification under the Qin Dynasty); 1 January 1912 (Qing Dynasty replaced by the Republic of China)
National holiday
National Day (anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China), 1 October (1949)
Flag
meaning: red represents revolution; the stars symbolize the four social classes -- the working class, the peasantry, the urban petty bourgeoisie, and the national bourgeoisie (capitalists) -- united under the Communist Party of China
National symbol(s)
dragon, giant panda
National color(s)
red, yellow
National anthem(s)
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
selected World Heritage Site locales:
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)
Economy32
Economic overview
world’s second-largest economy by nominal GDP; global leader in exports and manufacturing; historically strong growth slowing; challenges of aging workforce, weak productivity, rising youth unemployment, struggling property sector, and public debt; state-sponsored economic controls and infrastructure investments
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023: $32.005 trillion (2023 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022: $30.361 trillion (2022 est.)
Real GDP growth rate
Real GDP growth rate 2023: 5.4% (2023 est.)
Real GDP growth rate 2022: 3.1% (2022 est.)
Real GDP per capita
Real GDP per capita 2023: $22,700 (2023 est.)
Real GDP per capita 2022: $21,500 (2022 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate)
$18.744 trillion (2024 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023: 0.2% (2023 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022: 2% (2022 est.)
GDP - composition, by sector of origin
industry: 36.5% (2024 est.)
services: 56.7% (2024 est.)
GDP - composition, by end use
household consumption
government consumption
investment in fixed capital
investment in inventories
exports of goods and services
imports of goods and services
Agricultural products
maize, rice, vegetables, wheat, sugarcane, potatoes, cucumbers/gherkins, tomatoes, watermelons, pork (2023)
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.)
Labor force
773.88 million (2024 est.)
Unemployment rate
Unemployment rate 2023: 4.7% (2023 est.)
Unemployment rate 2022: 5% (2022 est.)
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)
male: 16.5% (2024 est.)
female: 13.5% (2024 est.)
Population below poverty line
0% (2020 est.)
Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income
Average household expenditures
on alcohol and tobacco: 3.2% of household expenditures (2023 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
highest 10%: 28.2% (2021 est.)
Remittances
Remittances 2023: 0.2% of GDP (2023 est.)
Remittances 2022: 0.1% of GDP (2022 est.)
Budget
expenditures: $4.893 trillion (2019 est.)
Public debt
Taxes and other revenues
7.6% (of GDP) (2023 est.)
Current account balance
Current account balance 2023: $263.382 billion (2023 est.)
Current account balance 2022: $443.374 billion (2022 est.)
Exports
Exports 2023: $3.508 trillion (2023 est.)
Exports 2022: $3.719 trillion (2022 est.)
Exports - partners
USA 13%, Hong Kong 8%, Japan 5%, Germany 5%, S. Korea 4% (2023)
Exports - commodities
broadcasting equipment, computers, integrated circuits, garments, machine parts (2023)
Imports
Imports 2023: $3.122 trillion (2023 est.)
Imports 2022: $3.142 trillion (2022 est.)
Imports - partners
S. Korea 7%, USA 7%, Japan 6%, Australia 6%, Russia 6% (2023)
Imports - commodities
crude petroleum, integrated circuits, iron ore, gold, natural gas (2023)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2023: $3.45 trillion (2023 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2022: $3.307 trillion (2022 est.)
Debt - external
Exchange rates
Currency
Exchange rates 2024
Exchange rates 2023
Exchange rates 2022
Exchange rates 2021
Exchange rates 2020
Energy8
Electricity access
Electricity
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.)
Electricity generation sources
fossil fuels
nuclear
solar
wind
hydroelectricity
biomass and waste
Nuclear energy
Number of nuclear reactors under construction: 28 (2025)
Net capacity of operational nuclear reactors: 55.32GW (2025 est.)
Percent of total electricity production: 4.9% (2023 est.)
Coal
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
refined petroleum consumption: 16.189 million bbl/day (2023 est.)
crude oil estimated reserves: 26.023 billion barrels (2021 est.)
Natural gas
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.)
Energy consumption per capita
Communications6
Telephones - fixed lines
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 12 (2024 est.)
Telephones - mobile cellular
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 132 (2024 est.)
Broadcast media
all broadcast media are owned by, or affiliated with, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) or a government agency; no privately owned TV or radio stations; state-run Chinese Central TV, provincial, and municipal stations offer more than 2,000 channels; the Central Propaganda Department and local (provincial, municipal) officials direct news reporting and approve all programming; foreign-made TV programs must be approved/censored prior to broadcast; widespread use of online platforms (Bilibili, Tencent Video, iQiyi, etc) to access domestic and international films and TV shows; Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) regulates video platforms (2022)
Internet country code
.cn
Internet users
Broadband - fixed subscriptions
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 45 (2023 est.)
Transportation6
Civil aircraft registration country code prefix
B
Airports
552 (2025)
Heliports
120 (2025)
Railways
Merchant marine
by type: bulk carrier 1,831, container ship 419, general cargo 1,392, oil tanker 1,196, other 3,476
Ports
total ports
large
medium
small
very small
ports with oil terminals
key ports
Military & Security7
Military and security forces
People's Liberation Army (PLA): Ground Forces or People's Liberation Army Army (PLAA), Navy (PLAN, includes Marine Corps (PLANMC)), Air Force (PLAAF), Rocket Force (PLARF), Aerospace Force (ASF), Cyberspace Force (CSF), Information Support Force (ISF), Joint Logistics Support Force (JLSF); People's Armed Police (PAP, includes Coast Guard, Border Defense Force, Internal Security Forces); PLA Reserve Force (2025)
Military expenditures
Military Expenditures 2023: 1.5% of GDP (2023 est.)
Military Expenditures 2022: 1.5% of GDP (2022 est.)
Military Expenditures 2021: 1.5% of GDP (2021 est.)
Military Expenditures 2020: 1.7% of GDP (2020 est.)
Military and security service personnel strengths
approximately 2 million active-duty PLA (950,000-1 million Ground; 250,000 Navy, including about 50,000 Marines; 350-400,000 Air Force; 120,000 Rocket Forces; 150-175,000 other forces) (2025)
Military equipment inventories and acquisitions
the PLA is mostly equipped with domestically produced armaments with smaller amounts of imported weaponry, largely from Russia; China has one of the world's largest defense-industrial sectors and is capable of producing advanced weapons systems across all military domains (2025)
Military service age and obligation
18-26 years of age depending on education level for men and women for both volunteer and selective compulsory military service; 24-month service obligation (2025)
Military deployments
475 Lebanon (UNIFIL); 1,050 South Sudan (UNMISS); 280 Sudan/South Sudan (UNISFA); has also established a base in Djibouti with approximately 400 marines, plus naval and support personnel (2025)
Military - note
the PRC's internal security forces consist primarily of the Ministry of Public Security (MPS), the Ministry of State Security (MSS), the People’s Armed Police (PAP), and the militia; the PLA support the internal security forces as necessary:
--the MPS controls the civilian national police, which serves as the first-line force for public order; its primary mission is domestic law enforcement and maintaining order, including anti-rioting and anti-terrorism
--the MSS is the PRC’s main civilian intelligence and counterintelligence service
--the PAP is a paramilitary component (or adjunct) of the PLA; its primary missions include internal security, maintaining public order, maritime security, and assisting the PLA in times of war; the China Coast Guard (CCG) administratively falls under the PAP and has a variety of missions, such as maritime sovereignty enforcement, surveillance, resource protection, anti-smuggling, and general law enforcement; it is the largest maritime law enforcement fleet in the world
--the militia is an armed reserve of civilians which serves as an auxiliary and reserve force for the PLA upon mobilization, although it is distinct from the PLA’s reserve forces; militia units are organized around towns, villages, urban sub-districts, and enterprises, and vary widely in composition and mission; they have dual civilian-military command structures; a key component of the militia are the local maritime forces, commonly referred to as the People’s Armed Forces Maritime Militia (PAFMM); the PAFMM consists of mariners (and their vessels) who receive training, equipment, and other forms of support from the Navy and CCG (although the PAFMM remains separate from both) to perform tasks such as maritime patrolling, surveillance and reconnaissance, emergency/disaster response, transportation, search and rescue, and auxiliary tasks in support of naval operations in wartime; the PAFMM’s tasks are often conducted in conjunction or coordination with the Navy and the CCG; it has been used to assert Beijing's maritime claims in the Sea of Japan and South China Sea (2025)
Transnational Issues3
Refugees and internally displaced persons
IDPs: 198,400 (2024 est.)
Trafficking in persons
Illicit drugs
major illicit drug-producing and/or drug-transit country
major precursor-chemical producer (2025)