The population of China has usually been a point of discussion in the modern world. In 2016, the total population was around 1.38 billion. Until recently, the country had a one-child rule for controlling their ever-growing population. 

 Even in earlier years, the numbers for the Chinese population were quite phenomenal. The ancient rulers usually made it a point to take census of the population, so we have some useful information on that aspect. 

The population censuses for China are believed to have started in the Zhou Dynasty, but there have been conflicting and somewhat confusing figures regarding the data from that time. Some census may have counted the taxpayers and not the actual population. During the Qing Dynasty, the Chinese government was using tax units to calculate the census. 

The Chinese dynasties in general were monarchical regimes based on a hereditary system. These were the ruling parties in China until at least 1912, when the Xuantong Emperor abdicated during the Xinhai Revolution. When we divide Chinese history according to the various reigns, the amazing history and impact of the Chinese dynasties is evident. It’s also a usual practice to know the estimated population numbers during different dynasties, as this will help understanding how their systems worked. The Infographic below gives a few details of some major Chinese dynasties to start off with.

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