Key facts
- Liaoning province saw a net inflow of 45,000 people in 2025.
- The inflow was driven by midcareer professionals and families.
- Attractions included jobs, lower living costs, and less competition for school places.
- Liaoning's population declined by nearly one million between 2021 and 2025.
- Deaths outnumbered births in Liaoning during the 2021-2025 period.
Liaoning, a province in northeastern China, has experienced a reversal in its population trend, recording a net inflow of 45,000 people in 2025 after more than a decade of decline. This migration was primarily driven by midcareer professionals and their families seeking better job prospects, more affordable living conditions, and less competition for school admissions.
Despite this recent inflow, the province faces a significant demographic challenge. Liaoning's overall population decreased by nearly one million between 2021 and 2025, a trend attributed to a higher death rate than birth rate, highlighting the ongoing issues of industrial decline and an aging population in the region.