China’s Glaciers Shrink by More than a Quarter

4th April 2025

The latest data shows the glacial area has gone down 26% since 1960 and 7,000 small glaciers have disappeared completely.

The figures are in a UNESCO report.

China’s glaciers are predominantly in the west and north of the country, in the regions of Tibet and Xinjiang, and the provinces of Sichuan, Yunnan, Gansu and Qinghai.

China’s total glacier area is around 46,000 square kilometres, with around 69,000 glaciers in 2020.

This compares to around 59,000 square kilometres and around 46,000 glaciers in China between 1960 and 1980.