Internal migration in China and India is still one of the biggest forces reshaping cities, labor markets and household opportunity
Internal Migration in China and India: What the Latest Data Show
Internal mobility remains closely connected to changes in cities, labor markets and household opportunity in China and India. China’s National Bureau of Statistics estimated a 357.88 million floating population at the November 1, 2025 reference date. China separately counted 301.15 million migrant workers in 2025, a labor-market category rather than a complete migrant-population measure.
India’s latest published nationwide migration estimates still come from 2020–21 surveys. The Periodic Labour Force Survey reported an overall migration rate of 28.9%, with most migrants reporting a previous usual residence within the same state. A new national Migration Particulars survey is being conducted from July 2026 through June 2027.
This comparison uses official Chinese and Indian statistics plus separately labeled World Bank projections. The datasets use different definitions and reference periods, so they are analyzed separately rather than combined into a China–India migration ranking.
NBS estimate at the November 1, 2025 reference date.
Out-of-hometown migrant workers crossing provincial boundaries in 2025.
PLFS 2020–21 overall migration rate; not a labor-migration-only measure.
NSS 81st Round Migration Particulars data collection is underway.
Key migration definitions used in China and India
China: floating population
NBS defines the floating population as people living outside their household-registration area, excluding people whose current residence differs from registration but remains within the same municipality or prefecture-level city. The residence-away criterion is more than six months.
China: migrant workers
The NBS migrant-worker category covers rural-registered workers who either engage in non-agricultural work within their registered township for six months or more during the year, or work outside that township for six months or more.
India: PLFS migrant
PLFS identifies a migrant through a change in usual place of residence. The measure includes moves related to marriage, family, employment and other reasons and also contains a small group whose previous usual residence was outside India.
India: current migration survey
The NSS 81st Round is collecting detailed information on migration patterns, reasons for migration, out-migrants, short-term migration and migrants’ socio-economic characteristics from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027.
Verified evidence snapshot
Each statistic remains in its original unit and reference period. The rows are evidence points rather than a ranking.
Verified evidence rows visible: 16
| Country | Indicator | Value | Period | Source / method note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| China | Floating population | 357.88M | Nov. 1, 2025 | Official observedNBS 1% National Population Sample Survey; residence-based mobility measure. |
| China | Total migrant workers | 301.15M | 2025 | Official observedNBS labor category; includes local and out-of-hometown workers. |
| China | Out-of-hometown migrant workers | 180.06M | 2025 | Official observedWorkers employed outside their household-registration township. |
| China | Within-province out-of-hometown workers | 112.41M | 2025 | Official observed62.4% of out-of-hometown migrant workers. |
| China | Cross-province out-of-hometown workers | 67.65M | 2025 | Official observed37.6% of out-of-hometown migrant workers. |
| China | Migrant workers in tertiary industries | 54.7% | 2025 | Official observedShare of all migrant workers; secondary industries accounted for 44.5%. |
| China | Migrant workers residing in urban areas | 130.92M | Year-end 2025 | Official observedUrban-resident subset of the migrant-worker category, not the full urban migrant population. |
| China | Primary-school-age children accompanying migrant workers in public or government-supported private schools | 97.8% | 2025 | Official observedNBS migrant-worker urbanization survey; middle-school-age share was 95.8%. |
| India | Overall PLFS migration rate | 28.9% | 2020–21 | Official surveyBroad usual-residence migration measure; not restricted to labor or internal migration. |
| India | Urban PLFS migration rate | 34.9% | 2020–21 | Official surveyRural rate was 26.5%. |
| India | Migrants whose last usual residence was in the same state | 87.5% | 2020–21 | Official surveyPLFS distribution by location of last usual place of residence. |
| India | Migrants whose last usual residence was in another state | 11.8% | 2020–21 | Official surveyInter-state share among PLFS migrants. |
| India | Migrants whose last usual residence was outside India | 0.7% | 2020–21 | Official surveyThis external-origin component is why 28.9% is not labeled as a pure internal-migration rate. |
| India | Male migrants citing search for employment or better employment | 22.8% | 2020–21 | Official surveyLargest single migration reason reported for male migrants in the government summary. |
| India | Female migrants citing marriage | 86.8% | 2020–21 | Official surveyShows why the overall migration rate should not be interpreted as a labor-migration rate. |
| India | NSS 81st Round Migration Particulars survey | In field | Jul. 2026–Jun. 2027 | Current surveyCollecting migration patterns, reasons, out-migrant and short-term migration information alongside employment and other socio-economic characteristics; no nationwide results are yet published. |
No synthetic 2026 Indian migrant total is calculated from older survey or census data.
Where migration occurs within China and India
The charts use shares only within each national dataset. China’s chart covers out-of-hometown migrant workers in 2025; India’s chart covers PLFS migrants in 2020–21.
China: out-of-hometown migrant workers
Share of 180.06 million out-of-hometown migrant workers.
India: last usual residence of migrants
Share of PLFS migrants, July 2020–June 2021.
China: population mobility and migrant-worker statistics measure different groups
The 2025 1% National Population Sample Survey estimated China’s floating population at 357.88 million at the November 1 reference date. The measure focuses on people residing outside their household-registration area and excludes moves within the same municipality or prefecture-level city under the official definition.
The migrant-worker survey measures a labor category instead. It counted 301.15 million migrant workers in 2025, including 121.09 million working locally and 180.06 million working outside their registered township. Among the out-of-hometown group, 112.41 million remained within their home province and 67.65 million crossed provincial boundaries.
Migrant-worker employment extends well beyond manufacturing and construction. Tertiary industries accounted for 54.7% of all migrant workers in 2025. Manufacturing accounted for 28.2%, construction 13.8%, wholesale and retail 13.7%, transport, storage and postal activities 7.2%, accommodation and catering 7.2%, and resident services, repair and other services 12.5%.
India: published migration estimates are older, but new data are being collected
India’s latest published nationwide migration estimates were collected in 2020–21 through the Periodic Labour Force Survey and the Multiple Indicator Survey. PLFS estimated an overall migration rate of 28.9%, including 34.9% in urban areas and 26.5% in rural areas.
PLFS covers more than labor migration. Among migrants, 87.5% reported their last usual residence in the same state, 11.8% in another state and 0.7% in another country. Marriage accounted for 86.8% of female migration, while 22.8% of male migrants cited searching for employment or better employment.
The NSS 81st Round is collecting Migration Particulars nationwide from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027. Current official materials describe the collection of migration patterns and causes, information on out-migrants and short-term migration, and employment and other socio-economic characteristics. Nationwide results are not yet available in this September 2026 snapshot.
Census 2027 is also underway. By August 12, 2026, the Houselisting and Housing Census phase had been completed in 31 states and union territories, with the remaining areas scheduled to complete it in September. Population Enumeration is already taking place during September 2026 in Ladakh and designated snow-bound areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. New nationwide migration tables are therefore not yet available for this article.
How internal mobility is reshaping cities
In China, 130.92 million migrant workers were residing in urban areas at the end of 2025. The permanent-resident urbanization rate reached 67.89%, although urbanization also reflects natural population change and administrative factors rather than migration alone.
India’s newer migration results are still pending, but urban growth is expected to remain substantial. A 2025 World Bank report prepared with India’s Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs projected the urban population to rise from about 480 million in 2020 to 951 million by 2050 and stated that 70% of new jobs created by 2030 are expected to come from cities.
Projected Indian urban population by 2050. This is not a migrant-population estimate.
Share of new jobs expected to come from Indian cities by 2030.
Labor markets and household opportunity
China’s migrant-worker labor force spans manufacturing, construction, retail, logistics, hospitality and other services. The 54.7% tertiary-industry share shows that the migrant-worker economy extends well beyond manufacturing and construction.
Employment is an important migration reason for men in India, but the overall PLFS migration rate also includes large marriage- and family-related movements. Labor-market analysis should therefore use employment-reason data rather than treating the overall rate as a labor-migrant share.
Moving can also change access to housing, schooling, healthcare and social protection. Policies in both countries increasingly address the practical problem of maintaining access to essential services when people change where they live or work.
China’s State Council issued guidelines in May 2026 calling for basic public services to be provided increasingly according to actual residence rather than household-registration location. The measures address education for children accompanying migrant workers, employee social insurance, basic medical coverage, employment services and wider access to public rental housing for eligible residents without local household registration.
NBS reported that 97.8% of primary-school-age children accompanying migrant workers attended public schools or government-supported private schools in 2025. The corresponding share for middle-school-age children was 95.8%.
India addresses food-entitlement portability through the One Nation One Ration Card system. An official late-2025 update reported coverage of about 798 million people under the National Food Security Act across all 36 states and union territories. This is a beneficiary-coverage figure, not a migrant count.
Neither national dataset proves that moving by itself raises an individual worker’s income. Earnings and household outcomes can also differ because of occupation, destination, education, experience, housing costs and selection into migration.
How the China and India datasets differ
| Question | China | India | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newest broad mobility benchmark | 2025 floating-population estimate | Published nationwide estimates remain from 2020–21 | China currently has the fresher observed national mobility benchmark. |
| Labor-specific measure | Annual migrant-worker monitoring series | PLFS reports migration reasons rather than an equivalent annual migrant-worker total | The headline labor categories are not directly comparable. |
| Geographic pattern | Mostly within province among out-of-hometown workers | Mostly within state among PLFS migrants | Large shares of recorded movement occur below the province or state boundary. |
| Current data update | 2025 population and migrant-worker statistics published in 2026 | NSS 81st Round runs Jul. 2026–Jun. 2027 | India’s next nationwide migration benchmark is still being collected. |
Methodology and limitations
Source hierarchy
Primary national statistics are used first: China’s NBS and India’s NSO/MoSPI and Census authorities. Official government releases document policy implementation, while World Bank figures are used only when clearly labeled as projections.
China measurement
Broad mobility is represented by the NBS floating-population estimate. Migrant-worker statistics are kept separate because they use a rural-registration and employment-based definition.
India measurement
The 28.9% PLFS figure is an overall migration rate under the usual-residence framework. Because the migrant population also includes people whose previous usual residence was outside India, it is not labeled as a pure internal-migration rate.
Current-data rule
The NSS 81st Round is identified as an ongoing survey rather than a source of results. Census 2027 operations are likewise not converted into unpublished nationwide migration estimates.
Projection rule
World Bank 2030 and 2050 figures are reported as published projections. They are not transformed into synthetic 2026 values or treated as observed migration data.
Limits
The evidence does not establish that migration alone causes urban growth, wage gains or household advancement. Urbanization also reflects natural population change, administrative classification, investment and other forces.
Four findings from the evidence
China needs two mobility measures
Floating population measures residence away from registration, while the migrant-worker series describes a rural-registration labor category.
Shorter-distance movement matters
Most Chinese out-of-hometown migrant workers stayed within their home province rather than crossing a provincial boundary.
Service access matters after migration
China’s residence-based public-service reforms and India’s ration-card portability system show how governments are addressing access to services when people move.
India’s evidence base is being refreshed
The NSS 81st Round is collecting new migration information, but nationwide findings should not be anticipated before official publication.
What the evidence means for cities, labor markets and households
Large-scale mobility redistributes workers and residents within both countries, and much of the recorded movement occurs within provinces or states rather than only across their largest administrative boundaries. The economic value of moving also depends on destination conditions, including access to jobs, housing, schools, healthcare and social protection.
China’s floating population, China’s migrant-worker series and India’s PLFS migration measure describe different populations. Reading each indicator according to its own definition is essential for comparing how mobility affects urban development and household opportunity.
FAQ
Is China’s migrant-worker total the same as its floating population?
No. Migrant workers are defined through rural household registration and employment activity, while floating population is a broader residence-based mobility measure.
What is India’s latest published nationwide migration rate?
PLFS July 2020–June 2021 estimated an overall migration rate of 28.9%, including 34.9% in urban areas and 26.5% in rural areas.
How much migration in India was inter-state?
Among PLFS migrants, 11.8% had their last usual residence in another state, while 87.5% came from the same state.
Is India collecting newer migration data?
Yes. The NSS 81st Round Migration Particulars survey runs from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027. Nationwide results were not yet available in this September 2026 snapshot.
Why does service portability matter for migrants?
Moving can separate people from locally administered schooling, healthcare, social protection or food entitlements. China’s residence-based public-service reforms and India’s ration-card portability system address parts of that problem.
Does urban population growth equal migration?
No. Urban populations also change through births, deaths, settlement reclassification and administrative boundary changes.
Sources
National Bureau of Statistics of China — 1% National Population Sample Survey in 2025
Primary source for the 357.88 million floating-population estimate, reference date and official definition.
https://www.stats.gov.cn/english/PressRelease/202605/t20260522_1963789.html
National Bureau of Statistics of China — 2025 Migrant Workers Monitoring Survey
Primary source for migrant-worker definitions, totals, geographic movement, sector shares, urban residence and accompanying-child schooling indicators.
https://www.stats.gov.cn/sj/zxfb/202604/t20260430_1963472.html
National Bureau of Statistics of China — 2025 National Economic and Social Development Communiqué
Official source for China’s year-end 2025 migrant-worker and permanent-resident urbanization indicators.
https://www.stats.gov.cn/english/PressRelease/202602/t20260228_1962661.html
State Council — Basic Public Services Based on Permanent Residence
Official republication of State Council document Guo Fa [2026] No. 11 covering residence-based public services, education, social insurance, medical coverage, employment services and housing access.
https://www.mee.gov.cn/zcwj/gwywj/202605/t20260525_1155865.shtml
Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation — Migration in India 2020–21
Primary report for PLFS migration rates, same-state and inter-state distributions and migration reasons.
Press Information Bureau / MoSPI — Survey on Migration in the Country
Official February 2026 summary confirming the use of PLFS 2020–21 and Multiple Indicator Survey 2020–21 migration data.
https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2222097&lang=1®=3
Press Information Bureau / NSO — NSS 81st Round Migration Particulars
Official current-round source confirming collection of migration patterns, reasons, out-migrants and short-term migration information.
https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2272028&lang=2®=48
Press Information Bureau / NSO — NSS 81st Round socio-economic scope
Official July 2026 source describing migration patterns and causes alongside employment, education, marriage and other socio-economic characteristics collected in the survey.
https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2291720&lang=2®=48
Press Information Bureau / NSO — NSS 81st Round field period
Official source confirming the July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027 survey period.
https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2273371&lang=2®=48
Press Information Bureau / Ministry of Home Affairs — Census 2027 progress update
August 2026 official update for Houselisting and Housing Census progress and September 2026 Population Enumeration in designated snow-bound areas.
https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2298340&lang=2®=48
Press Information Bureau — One Nation One Ration Card progress
Official source for ONORC coverage across all 36 states and union territories and approximately 798 million NFSA beneficiaries.
https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2210211&lang=2®=48
World Bank — Towards Resilient and Prosperous Cities in India
Published projection source for India’s 2050 urban population and the expected urban share of new jobs by 2030.
