How did Han Chinese migration change Xinjiang’s population distribution?

The migration of Han Chinese into Xinjiang significantly altered the region's ethnic composition and population distribution.1

Historically, the population was concentrated in the Tarim Basin, where in 1953 approximately three-fourths of the inhabitants lived. Following the establishment of the autonomous region in 1955, the government fostered planned migration to interior and border regions. Unlike the indigenous population, which was largely centered in the south, the influx of Han migrants was directed primarily toward the Junggar Basin in the north, driven by the area's resource potential and industrial development.1234

By 1980, it was estimated that recent migrants constituted between one-fourth and one-third of the population in Xinjiang, with the Han proportion of the total population rising to about two-fifths. This demographic shift, coupled with economic disparities between the Han and Uyghur populations, has contributed to heightened ethnic tensions and occasional social disturbances within the region.325