In 2023, approximately 51.3 percent of all Chinese migrant workers moved to East China for work. However, the economic situation in Western and Central China has improved in recent years and attracted a growing share of laborers.
Share of migrant workers in China from 2016 to 2023, by destination region
* 2021, 2022, and 2023 shares calculated by Statista.
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.
A small fraction of workers (around 0.2 percent in 2023) moved to other regions for work, including 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). Share of migrant workers in China from 2016 to 2023, by destination region [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved December 03, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1127655/migrant-laborers-in-china-by-destination-region/
National Bureau of Statistics of China. "Share of migrant workers in China from 2016 to 2023, by destination region." Chart. April 30, 2024. Statista. Accessed December 03, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1127655/migrant-laborers-in-china-by-destination-region/
National Bureau of Statistics of China. (2024). Share of migrant workers in China from 2016 to 2023, by destination region. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: December 03, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1127655/migrant-laborers-in-china-by-destination-region/
National Bureau of Statistics of China. "Share of Migrant Workers in China from 2016 to 2023, by Destination Region." Statista, Statista Inc., 30 Apr 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1127655/migrant-laborers-in-china-by-destination-region/
National Bureau of Statistics of China, Share of migrant workers in China from 2016 to 2023, by destination region Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1127655/migrant-laborers-in-china-by-destination-region/ (last visited December 03, 2024)
Share of migrant workers in China from 2016 to 2023, by destination region [Graph], National Bureau of Statistics of China, April 30, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1127655/migrant-laborers-in-china-by-destination-region/
