In 2023, approximately 152.8 million Chinese migrant workers moved to East China for work. This was more than half the total number of migrant workers. However, the economic situation in Western and Central China improved in recent years and attracted a growing number of laborers.
Number of migrant laborers in China from 2015 to 2023, by destination region
(in millions)
The data have been collected through a survey which covered rural workers from 31 provinces, 1,730 districts and 8,613 villages in 2023. 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. Other regions include Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, and other global destinations.
Figures for earlier years have been taken from previous publications.
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National Bureau of Statistics of China. (April 30, 2024). Number of migrant laborers in China from 2015 to 2023, by destination region (in millions) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved December 30, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1127616/number-of-migrant-laborers-in-china-by-destination-region/
National Bureau of Statistics of China. "Number of migrant laborers in China from 2015 to 2023, by destination region (in millions)." Chart. April 30, 2024. Statista. Accessed December 30, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1127616/number-of-migrant-laborers-in-china-by-destination-region/
National Bureau of Statistics of China. (2024). Number of migrant laborers in China from 2015 to 2023, by destination region (in millions). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: December 30, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1127616/number-of-migrant-laborers-in-china-by-destination-region/
National Bureau of Statistics of China. "Number of Migrant Laborers in China from 2015 to 2023, by Destination Region (in Millions)." Statista, Statista Inc., 30 Apr 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1127616/number-of-migrant-laborers-in-china-by-destination-region/
National Bureau of Statistics of China, Number of migrant laborers in China from 2015 to 2023, by destination region (in millions) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1127616/number-of-migrant-laborers-in-china-by-destination-region/ (last visited December 30, 2024)
Number of migrant laborers in China from 2015 to 2023, by destination region (in millions) [Graph], National Bureau of Statistics of China, April 30, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1127616/number-of-migrant-laborers-in-china-by-destination-region/
