China
How well is China respecting people's human rights?
Use the tabs below to explore the scores.
China at a glance
Quality of Life
Economic and Social Rights
(2019)
Summary score
N/A
How well is China doing compared to what is possible at its level of income?
Right to
0
% of income adjusted benchmark achieved
HRMI score
100%
Very bad
Bad
Fair
Good
Safety from the State
Civil and Political Rights
(2021)
Summary score
2.8
How well is China's government respecting each right?
Right to freedom from
0
Score
10
Very bad
Bad
Fair
Good
Empowerment
Civil and Political Rights
(2021)
Summary score
2.1
How well is China's government respecting each right?
Right to
0
Score
10
Very bad
Bad
Fair
Good
Source: HRMI 2022 rightstracker.org
Quality of Life
Compared with the other countries in East Asia, China is performing better than average when we look across the rights for which we have data (this comparison is calculated using the 'Income adjusted' benchmark).
To change the performance benchmark or assessment standard, please click on ‘Switch view’ above
Safety from the State
China's Safety from the State score of 2.8 out of 10 suggests that many people are not safe from one or more of the following: arbitrary arrest, torture and ill-treatment, forced disappearance, execution or extrajudicial killing.
For the civil and political rights we do not have data for enough countries in East Asia and Pacific to do a regional comparison. However, compared to the other 40 countries in our sample, China is performing worse than average on the right to be safe from the state.
Empowerment
China's Empowerment score of 2.1 out of 10 suggests that many people are not enjoying their civil liberties and political freedoms (freedom of speech, assembly and association, and democratic rights).
For the civil and political rights we do not have data for enough countries in East Asia and Pacific to do a regional comparison. However, compared to the other 38 countries in our sample, China is performing worse than average on empowerment rights.
Quality of Life - overview
(2019)
How well is China doing compared to what is possible at its level of income?
Summary score
0
% of income adjusted benchmark achieved
HRMI score
100%
Right to
Very bad
Bad
Fair
Good
Source: HRMI 2022 rightstracker.org
Compared with the other countries in East Asia, China is performing better than average when we look across the rights for which we have data (this comparison is calculated using the 'Income adjusted' benchmark).
To change the performance benchmark or assessment standard, please click on ‘Switch view’ above
Quality of Life - full details
See more detail on how China performs on the
?Right to
0
% of income adjusted benchmark achieved
HRMI score
100%
Right to
Very bad
Bad
Fair
Good
Source: HRMI 2022 rightstracker.org
By sex
How does China perform by sex for
?By sex
0
% of income adjusted benchmark achieved
HRMI score
100%
Very bad
Bad
Fair
Good
Source: HRMI 2022 rightstracker.org
Over time
How does China perform over time for
?Source: HRMI 2022 rightstracker.org
People at risk
Which people in China were identified by human rights experts to be particularly at risk of having their
violated?Interpretation: Larger text = more human rights experts identified this group as being at risk.
Source: HRMI 2022 rightstracker.org
When asked to provide more context about who was particularly unlikely to enjoy their right to education in 2021, our respondents mentioned all of the following:
- Children, particularly those of low social or economic status
- Rural schools are commonly closed, limiting the right to education for rural communities
- People of particular ethnicities, including Uyghurs, Mongolians, and Tibetans, who are not provided with language appropriate education
- People with particular religious or spiritual beliefs, including those practising Islam or Christianity
- Household registration systems limit the right to education, particularly for migrant workers and their families
- Living outside of one’s registered district restricts their ability to take college entrance exams
- People related to political prisoners
- People in particular geographic areas, especially remote or mountainous communities
- Children with disabilities, due to high costs associated with attending special needs education institutions
- Women and/or girls, particularly those living in rural areas
Safety from the State - overview
(2021)
How well is China's government respecting each right?
Summary score
0
Score
10
Right to freedom from
Very bad
Bad
Fair
Good
Source: HRMI 2022 rightstracker.org
China's Safety from the State score of 2.8 out of 10 suggests that many people are not safe from one or more of the following: arbitrary arrest, torture and ill-treatment, forced disappearance, execution or extrajudicial killing.
For the civil and political rights we do not have data for enough countries in East Asia and Pacific to do a regional comparison. However, compared to the other 40 countries in our sample, China is performing worse than average on the right to be safe from the state.
Over time
Source: HRMI 2022 rightstracker.org
People at risk
Which people in China were identified by human rights experts to be particularly at risk of having their
violated?Interpretation: Larger text = more human rights experts identified this group as being at risk.
Source: HRMI 2022 rightstracker.org
When asked to provide more context about who was especially vulnerable to arbitrary or political arrest and detention by government agents in 2021, our respondents mentioned all of the following:
- Detainees or those suspected of crimes are sometimes not allowed lawyers, or are convicted in secret trials
- People of particular ethnicities, particularly Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Mongolians, and Tibetans
- People with particular religious or spiritual beliefs, especially those practising Falun Gong and Christianity
- People with religious beliefs are arrested if they do not worship in an officially assigned location
- RSDL (Residential Surveillance in a Designated Location), a tenet of the Criminal Procedure law, allows for incommunicado detention and led to many cases of arbitrary arrest and subsequent torture
- Anyone who questioned official state Covid-19 practices
- Foreign nationals visiting China
- Dissidents and human rights defenders were particularly at risk for arrest under RSDL (Residential Surveillance in a Designated Location)
- People of particular ethnicities, including Uyghurs, who were commonly arbitrarily arrested and tortured concurrently
- Associates and relatives of those arrested were commonly threatened with arrest as well
- Dissidents from ethnic minorities were particularly at risk for arbitrary arrest and torture,
- People in particular geographic locations, especially Xinjiang, where ethnic minorities (particularly Uyghurs) are commonly detained in concentration camps
- Anyone attempting to organise and promote non-authorised ideas, including human rights, are at constant risk for arbitrary arrest
- Anyone who criticised the government, including those who did so online
- Mass surveillance campaigns commonly led to arrest for political reasons
- Journalists, particularly those reporting on the Covid-19 pandemic
- Those who petitioned the government
- People living in communities experiencing Covid-19
- Rights workers, particularly those working in Hong Kong
- Feminist advocates
- Labour unions, particularly those in leadership roles
Empowerment - overview
(2021)
How well is China's government respecting each right?
Summary score
0
Score
10
Right to
Very bad
Bad
Fair
Good
Source: HRMI 2022 rightstracker.org
China's Empowerment score of 2.1 out of 10 suggests that many people are not enjoying their civil liberties and political freedoms (freedom of speech, assembly and association, and democratic rights).
For the civil and political rights we do not have data for enough countries in East Asia and Pacific to do a regional comparison. However, compared to the other 38 countries in our sample, China is performing worse than average on empowerment rights.
Over time
Source: HRMI 2022 rightstracker.org
People at risk
Which people in China were identified by human rights experts to be particularly at risk of having their
violated?Interpretation: Larger text = more human rights experts identified this group as being at risk.
Source: HRMI 2022 rightstracker.org
When asked to provide more context about who was especially vulnerable to restrictions on their rights to assembly and association by the government or its agents in 2021, our respondents mentioned all of the following:
- Nobody in China enjoys freedom of assembly and association.
- Only assembly and association that benefits the Chinese Communist Party is allowed
- No independent labour unions or NGOs are allowed, as all civil society organisations require government approval to operate
- The 1989 Law on Assemblies, Processions and Demonstrations and its addendum regulations from 1992 continue to be used in denying this right, under guise of national security or endangerment of the public. Those that do apply are subject to harassment or arbitrary arrest
- No effective appellate decision making bodies exist for when approval is denied
- Those who have petitioned the government
- People of particular ethnicities, particularly Uyghurs and Tibetans
- People with particular religious or spiritual beliefs, especially those practising Falun Gong and Christianity
- Even small household instances of assembly are broken up and participants arrested
- Academics and researchers, particularly those focused on human rights
- Students, particularly those associated with democratic or labour movements
Which people are most at risk?
We asked human rights experts to choose from a list of options for which people were particularly at risk of having this right violated. The images below show their answers.
Highlight
in the word clouds below.Quality of Life
People at risk for
Right to education
Interpretation: Larger text = more human rights experts identified this group as being at risk.
People at risk for
Right to food
Interpretation: Larger text = more human rights experts identified this group as being at risk.
People at risk for
Right to health
Interpretation: Larger text = more human rights experts identified this group as being at risk.
People at risk for
Right to housing
Interpretation: Larger text = more human rights experts identified this group as being at risk.
People at risk for
Right to work
Interpretation: Larger text = more human rights experts identified this group as being at risk.
Safety from the State
People at risk for
Right to freedom from arbitrary arrest
Interpretation: Larger text = more human rights experts identified this group as being at risk.
People at risk for
Right to freedom from forced disappearance
Interpretation: Larger text = more human rights experts identified this group as being at risk.
People at risk for
Right to freedom from the death penalty
Interpretation: Larger text = more human rights experts identified this group as being at risk.
People at risk for
Right to freedom from extrajudicial execution
Interpretation: Larger text = more human rights experts identified this group as being at risk.
People at risk for
Right to freedom from torture and ill-treatment
Interpretation: Larger text = more human rights experts identified this group as being at risk.
Empowerment
People at risk for
Right to assembly and association
Interpretation: Larger text = more human rights experts identified this group as being at risk.
People at risk for
Right to opinion and expression
Interpretation: Larger text = more human rights experts identified this group as being at risk.