Recently, claims regarding a "Uyghur genocide" have resurfaced on X, once again drawing widespread attention to Xinjiang. But is there any empirical truth to these allegations? Upon tracing these claims back to their origins, Fact Check found that these "accusations" lack both evidence and context.
Population: growth over "disappearance"
According to the Xinjiang 2025 National Economic and Social Development Statistical Bulletin, the region's permanent population reached 26.39 million by the end of 2025, marking an increase of 162,000 over the previous year. The natural growth rate stood at 2.70‰, with a birth rate of 8.97‰ and a death rate of 6.27‰.
Furthermore, urban permanent residents reached 16.26 million, meaning 61.61% of Xinjiang's population now resides in cities and towns, an increase of 1.25 percentage points year-on-year.
As documented in Xinjiang Population Dynamics and Data, the Uyghur population stood at 8.3456 million in 2000, 10.0013 million in 2010, and 11.6243 million in 2020, with average annual growth rates of 1.5%, 1.83%, and 1.52%, respectively. In 2020, the proportion of the Uyghur population aged 0–14 was 30.51%, indicating a distinctly young demographic profile.
At the same time, Xinjiang is not only home to the Uyghur ethnic group but also encompasses 13 major ethnic groups, including the Han, Kazakh, and Hui. It is one of China's provincial-level administrative regions with the most complete representation of all 56 ethnic groups.
These concrete figures are difficult to reconcile with online rhetoric claiming that "whole communities are disappearing," or that "millions have been wiped out."
Economy and employment: evidence of broad-based growth
Economic indicators also show Xinjiang on a trajectory of steady growth rather than collapse. In 2025, Xinjiang's regional GDP reached 2.15 trillion yuan (approximately 309 billion USD), up 5.5% year-on-year. The value added of industrial enterprises above the designated size increased by 7.7%, while fixed-asset investment grew by 7.2%, roughly 11 percentage points higher than the national average.
Previous official reports note that by 2024, Xinjiang's employed population had risen to 13.91 million, an 11.64% increase compared to 2012. Hundreds of thousands of new urban jobs are created annually in key sectors such as textiles, energy, and tourism. These are not the statistics of a region allegedly subjected to "extermination", but rather one undergoing rapid industrial upgrading and urbanization.
International voices: a fractured consensus
The international conversation on Xinjiang is often portrayed by Western media as unanimous, yet records at the United Nations suggest otherwise. In November 2025, 85 countries jointly issued a statement at the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly opposing the politicization of human rights and interference in China's internal affairs, explicitly citing Xinjiang-related issues.
The statement emphasizes respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the right of each state to choose its own development path. It calls for a non-selective approach to human rights, free from double standards. This bloc, composed largely of developing nations, provides a critical counterpoint to narratives that frame Xinjiang solely through the lens of "genocide".
Reporter | Yuan Zixiang
Photo | Xinhua
Gu Jiahui (intern) also contributed to the story.
