Concept · Politics
Hukou
In plain English
China's household registration system, which ties a person to a registered locality and historically to an agricultural or non-agricultural classification, affecting access to schooling, healthcare and other local public services.
Literally
Household mouth — that is, household registration.
Commonly mistaken for
It is not an internal passport and does not by itself prevent movement. Hundreds of millions live and work outside their registered locality; the constraint is on entitlement to local services rather than on travel.
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Chinese
· · ·
hukou; household registration system; hukou reform; migrant population
Related
- Involution (neijuan) — 内卷
Sources
- 《中华人民共和国户口登记条例》, adopted by the NPC Standing Committee, 9 January 1958 — Art. 10 on migration control
- 《国务院关于进一步推进户籍制度改革的意见》 (国发〔2014〕25号), which unified 农业 and 非农业 registration as 居民户口
- National Bureau of Statistics migrant population surveys
Review status. Sources verified against primary references, 1 August 2026.