Migrant Workers’ Remittances and Rural Development in China

China is the world’s most populous nation and also has the largest rural population, numbering 757 million in 2004 (NBS 2005, p. 93). During the last quarter of the twentieth century, China has experienced perhaps the most rapid urbanization in the history of the world: The urban population increased from 9 percent of the total in 1978 to 41.7 percent in 2004 (NBS 2005, 93), and rural–urban labor migrants (both seasonal and non-seasonal) numbered over 100 million. The enormous impact of this demographic transformation on China’s socio-economic development has yet to be fully appreciated.

Sustainable Development Goals:

Decent Work and Economic Growth

Sustainable Cities and Communities

Partnerships for the Goals