China’s Communist Party membership tops 100 million ahead of 104th anniversary

The Communist Party of China (CPC) has surpassed a 100 million members, marking a "significant milestone" ahead of its 104th founding anniversary, the party announced on Monday.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning celebrated the occasion on social media. “From less than 60 members at its founding in 1921 to 100 million, always from the people and for the people.”

According to official data released by the CPC’s Central Organization Department and reported by Xinhua News Agency, party membership stood at more than 100.27 million by the end of 2024. That reflects an increase of nearly 1.09 million members from the previous year.

The number of grassroots CPC organizations also grew, reaching 5.25 million—up by 74,000 over the same period.

In 2024, more than 2.13 million new members joined the CPC. Of those, 52.6% were engaged in frontline production or work. A majority (54.4%) held at least a junior college degree, and 83.7% were aged 35 or younger.

Overall, 57.6% of CPC members had junior college degrees or higher. Female members totaled nearly 31 million, accounting for 30.9% of the party. Ethnic minority representation stood at 7.7%, while workers and farmers made up about one-third of the total.

With a population exceeding 1.4 billion, China now hosts the world’s largest political party—both in membership size and organizational scope—as the CPC continues to consolidate its influence ahead of its centennial in power, expected in 2049.

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