Population and ethnicity

en.hainan.gov.cn

Two women in traditional Li ethnic attire experience Li textile techniques. [Photo/VCG]

Population
By the end of 2024, the permanent population of Hainan province reached 10.48 million, an increase of 51,000 from the previous year. The proportion of the permanent urban population (urbanization rate) was 63.08 percent, up 0.62 percentage point from the previous year. In terms of gender structure, the province had 5.56 million men and 4.92 million women. Regarding age composition, there were 1.87 million people aged 0–14, 7.37 million aged 15–64 and 1.24 million aged 65 and above.

Ethnicity
Hainan is a province inhabited by multiple ethnic groups, with the Han, Li, Miao and Hui being there for generations, and other ethnic groups scattering across the province. The Li ethnic group is the earliest known inhabitants of Hainan. The Li and Miao peoples mostly live in the central and southern parts of the island for generations, mainly in the autonomous counties of Ledong, Lingshui, Changjiang, Baoting, Qiongzhong and Baisha, as well as in the city of Sanya and the county-level cities of Dongfang and Wuzhishan. The Hui people mainly reside in Sanya, while the Han population is concentrated in the northeastern, northern and coastal areas of Hainan. Ethnic minority areas account for 48 percent of the province's total land area.