Number of migrant workers in China by region of origin 2015-2023

The data have been collected through a survey which covered rural workers from 31 provinces, 1,730 districts and 8,613 villages. Migrant laborers are defined as workers that are still registered as rural permanent residents, but have left their place of origin for more than six months in order to find work in another place. They either stay in the same province or move to another province in search of work.

East China includes Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Shandong, Guangdong, and Hainan. Central China includes Shanxi, Anhui, Jiangxi, Henan, Hubei, and Hunan. West China includes Inner Mongolia, Guangxi, Chongqing, Guizhou, Yunnan, Tibet, Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia, and Xinjiang. Northeast China includes, Liaoning, Jilin, and Heilongjiang.

Figures for earlier years have been taken from previous publications.