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Average Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) Salary in China for 2026

An licensed practical nurse (lpn) in China earns about 279,400 CNY a year. That's 21% below the national average of 351,900 CNY.

Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in China sit around 130,400 CNY a year, while the very top stretches to 442,300 CNY. Everything on this page is in Chinese yuan (CNY, symbol ¥), which lets you compare numbers like-for-like without worrying about exchange rates.

The numbers here are pulled together from official government wage data, large independent salary surveys, and aggregated worker-reported pay. Most reported salaries include the benefits that are common in China, such as housing or transport allowances, which is worth keeping in mind if you're comparing against a country where those are usually paid on top.

How much does an licensed practical nurse (lpn) make in China?

Average salary
279,400 CNY
23,283 CNY per month
Lowest reported
130,400 CNY
10,866 CNY per month
Highest reported
442,300 CNY
36,858 CNY per month

A typical licensed practical nurse (lpn) working in China brings home around 23,283 CNY a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 130,400 CNY, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 442,300 CNY for the most experienced and specialised people in the role.

The wide gap between low end and top end reflects how much pay can vary inside the same job title. A junior licensed practical nurse (lpn) working at a small local employer earns very different money from a senior at a multinational. Skills, employer, city and years in the seat all push the number around.

How licensed practical nurse (lpn) pay ranges in China

A good way to think about salary in China is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all licensed practical nurse (lpn)s in China earn less than 296,000 CNY a year, and the other half earn more. That middle number is the median, and it is usually more useful than the average for answering "is my pay normal here".

Looking at the quartiles fills in the picture. A quarter of earners take home less than 191,600 CNY (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 392,300 CNY (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of licensed practical nurse (lpn)s sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 130,400 CNY. The highest stretch to 442,300 CNY, though only a small fraction of earners ever reach that level. If you are deciding whether your own offer or current pay is reasonable, work out which of those four bands you would fall into and use that as your reference point.

130,400
Low
296,000
Median
442,300
High
191,600
25th
392,300
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in CNY

Licensed practical nurse (lpn) pay by experience in China

Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for an licensed practical nurse (lpn) in China, ahead of education and almost any other single factor. The longer you have been in the role, the more your employer can trust you to handle complexity, mentor others and act independently, all of which command higher pay. The chart below shows how the typical licensed practical nurse (lpn) salary changes as you move through the career ladder.

  • 0-2 Years
    152,000 CNY
  • 2-5 Years
    +38% from previous
    209,700 CNY
  • 5-10 Years
    +43% from previous
    299,500 CNY
  • 10-15 Years
    +22% from previous
    365,400 CNY
  • 15-20 Years
    +5% from previous
    382,600 CNY
  • 20+ Years
    +10% from previous
    419,400 CNY

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 43%. That is the point at which a licensed practical nurse (lpn) typically goes from "competent in the role" to "the person other people in the team learn from", and the market pays well for that step.

Licensed practical nurse (lpn) pay by education in China

Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving licensed practical nurse (lpn) pay in China. Higher qualifications consistently pull higher salaries, but the size of the gap tends to be smallest at junior levels and widens as people move up. Two people in the same role with the same years of experience but different degrees can end up earning very different money once they reach mid-career.

Below is the average licensed practical nurse (lpn) salary in China broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.

  • Bachelor's Degree
    209,700 CNY
  • Master's Degree
    +82% from previous
    382,600 CNY

Licensed practical nurse (lpn) gender pay gap in China

The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and China is no exception. Male licensed practical nurse (lpn)s in China earn an average of 267,100 CNY a year, while female licensed practical nurse (lpn)s earn around 294,700 CNY. That works out to a 9% gap in favour of women, even when comparing people doing the same work.

A pay gap of this size has a real long-term cost. Over a typical thirty-year career it can add up to several years of pay, and it compounds through pensions, retirement contributions and bonus-linked stock. Some of the gap is explained by women being more likely to work part-time, take career breaks, or be steered toward lower-paying specialisations. Some of it is straightforward unequal pay for the same job, which is harder to defend.

Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) gender pay gap

9%

Men earn this much less than women on average in China.

Women 294,700 CNY
Men 267,100 CNY

Pay raises for an licensed practical nurse (lpn) in China

Most countries hand out at least some kind of pay raise every year, typically when an employee's contract is reviewed or as a cost-of-living adjustment to keep wages roughly in step with inflation. The rhythm and size of those raises varies hugely between industries.

A typical worker doing this role in China sees a raise of about 10% every 17 months, which works out to roughly 7% on an annual basis. That figure is the typical underlying rate; in years where inflation runs high you can usually expect a bit more, and in flat-economy years a bit less.

Across all jobs in China, the national average raise is around 9% every 15 months.

By industry

Industries with the highest pay raises in China:

  • Banking
  • Energy
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Travel
  • Construction
  • Education
    2%

By experience level

Experienced workers tend to see larger raises. Retaining a senior is cheaper than replacing them, so employers fight harder for them.

  • Junior Level
    3% - 5%
  • Mid-Career
  • Senior Level
  • Top Management

Licensed practical nurse (lpn) bonus rates in China

Bonuses are the other half of total compensation, and they vary a lot between jobs and industries. Some roles are paid almost entirely in base salary; others lean heavily on bonus structures tied to revenue, project completion or company performance. Whether a job pays a bonus, how big it is, and how often it lands all factor into whether the headline salary is actually a good offer.

59%

59% of licensed practical nurse (lpn)s in China reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes an licensed practical nurse (lpn) a moderate-bonus role overall, which is useful context when you're weighing up a job offer where the base is below market.

Among those who did receive a bonus, the size of the payment varied substantially. Reported bonuses ranged from 2% to 7% of base salary. The remaining 41% of licensed practical nurse (lpn)s reported no bonus at all over the same period.

Which careers pay bonuses in China

Revenue-facing roles tend to pay the biggest bonuses. Operational and support roles tend toward smaller, more predictable ones.

  • Finance
  • Architecture
  • Sales
  • Business Development
  • Marketing / Advertising
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Insurance
  • Customer Service
  • Human Resources
  • Construction
  • Transport
  • Hospitality

Licensed practical nurse (lpn): public vs private sector pay

Public-sector pay in China is about 6% more than private-sector pay for similar work. The private sector typically offers stronger upside and bigger bonuses; the public sector typically offers better benefits and stability.

Public vs private pay gap

6%

Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in China on average.

Public sector 362,200 CNY
Private sector 341,400 CNY

Licensed practical nurse (lpn) salary by city and region in China

Licensed practical nurse (lpn) pay is not even across China. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities and regions in the dataset, followed by the full location table.

  • Guangdong
  • Chongqing (city)
  • Shandong
  • Henan
  • Shanghai (city)
  • Hangzhou
  • Anhui
  • Guangzhou
  • Beijing (city)
  • Jiangxi
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
GuangdongRegion327,300 CNY335,800 CNY159,500-514,300 CNY
Chongqing (city)City325,800 CNY352,000 CNY150,000-514,800 CNY
ShandongRegion317,700 CNY317,700 CNY159,400-492,700 CNY
HenanRegion317,700 CNY307,400 CNY164,200-489,600 CNY
Shanghai (city)City313,700 CNY327,300 CNY152,100-496,100 CNY
HangzhouCity312,400 CNY312,400 CNY157,600-483,400 CNY
AnhuiRegion308,900 CNY282,300 CNY164,200-466,300 CNY
GuangzhouCity308,300 CNY327,300 CNY146,200-489,500 CNY
Beijing (city)City301,600 CNY315,700 CNY146,200-475,700 CNY
JiangxiRegion299,500 CNY308,300 CNY143,200-466,900 CNY
NanjingCity299,500 CNY279,400 CNY158,700-453,200 CNY
SichuanRegion296,000 CNY314,500 CNY138,200-466,900 CNY
HubeiRegion296,000 CNY288,700 CNY152,100-457,300 CNY
HunanRegion296,000 CNY296,000 CNY148,300-459,300 CNY
JiangsuRegion296,000 CNY301,600 CNY146,200-462,300 CNY
GuangxiRegion294,700 CNY308,900 CNY142,300-464,400 CNY
Xi anCity294,700 CNY318,800 CNY136,200-467,700 CNY
JinanCity294,300 CNY297,000 CNY142,300-457,300 CNY
ChengduCity294,300 CNY271,300 CNY159,100-442,300 CNY
HebeiRegion292,000 CNY268,900 CNY158,700-442,200 CNY
WuhanCity288,700 CNY301,600 CNY138,200-454,900 CNY
ShenyangCity288,700 CNY314,500 CNY134,600-460,500 CNY
Tianjin (city)City286,400 CNY275,500 CNY151,800-442,200 CNY
HarbinCity283,700 CNY292,000 CNY138,800-447,300 CNY
ZhejiangRegion283,400 CNY275,800 CNY142,300-431,300 CNY
YunnanRegion283,400 CNY271,300 CNY148,300-430,000 CNY
HeilongjiangRegion283,400 CNY265,000 CNY150,000-426,700 CNY
ShaanxiRegion283,400 CNY275,500 CNY142,300-433,400 CNY
LiaoningRegion282,500 CNY308,900 CNY128,900-450,300 CNY
QingdaoCity282,300 CNY307,400 CNY128,500-451,000 CNY
ShenzhenCity282,300 CNY301,800 CNY134,600-447,300 CNY
SuzhouCity275,800 CNY271,300 CNY138,800-424,900 CNY
FujianRegion272,800 CNY266,000 CNY138,200-417,100 CNY
ChangchunCity267,100 CNY277,400 CNY129,000-421,400 CNY
JilinRegion266,000 CNY282,300 CNY124,400-420,100 CNY
WenzhouCity265,000 CNY254,700 CNY139,100-407,100 CNY
GuizhouRegion265,000 CNY281,500 CNY124,400-417,100 CNY
ShanxiRegion263,200 CNY272,800 CNY127,700-411,400 CNY
ShantouCity263,100 CNY267,100 CNY129,000-411,400 CNY
DongguanCity263,100 CNY267,100 CNY129,000-409,000 CNY
Chongqing (region)Region261,300 CNY249,600 CNY136,200-398,300 CNY
DalianCity259,100 CNY281,500 CNY118,520-414,000 CNY
FuzhouCity258,400 CNY246,200 CNY134,600-392,300 CNY
FoshanCity254,700 CNY265,000 CNY123,400-399,900 CNY
Tianjin (region)Region253,400 CNY273,300 CNY117,520-399,900 CNY
Xinjiang UygurRegion252,300 CNY232,400 CNY137,400-384,200 CNY
Shanghai (region)Region251,500 CNY254,700 CNY123,400-388,100 CNY
ChangshaCity251,500 CNY245,300 CNY125,700-382,600 CNY
Nei MonggolRegion249,600 CNY232,900 CNY136,200-378,800 CNY
Beijing (region)Region247,800 CNY233,600 CNY130,400-378,300 CNY
QuanzhouCity246,500 CNY267,100 CNY112,180-394,800 CNY
GansuRegion245,300 CNY245,300 CNY123,400-381,800 CNY
KunmingCity240,500 CNY246,500 CNY119,020-378,300 CNY
ZhengzhouCity238,900 CNY247,800 CNY115,520-376,800 CNY
WuxiCity237,400 CNY239,000 CNY116,960-367,200 CNY
HainanRegion233,900 CNY254,700 CNY109,740-375,200 CNY
Xizang [Tibet]Region232,900 CNY217,900 CNY123,400-351,200 CNY
XiamenCity232,400 CNY217,900 CNY125,100-353,600 CNY
NingxiaRegion231,000 CNY216,800 CNY123,400-352,000 CNY
QinghaiRegion221,500 CNY214,000 CNY115,260-341,400 CNY

Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) in China: FAQs

  • How much does an licensed practical nurse (lpn) make per month in China?

    An licensed practical nurse (lpn) in China earns about 23,283 CNY a month before tax, based on an annual average of 279,400 CNY.

  • What's the salary range for an licensed practical nurse (lpn) in China?

    Entry-level licensed practical nurse (lpn)s in China start near 130,400 CNY. Top-end pay reaches around 442,300 CNY. The middle 50% of earners sit between 191,600 and 392,300 CNY.

  • Is the median licensed practical nurse (lpn) salary in China higher or lower than the average?

    The median is 296,000 CNY, higher than the average of 279,400 CNY. Half of licensed practical nurse (lpn)s in China earn below the median, half earn above it.

  • What's the gender pay gap for licensed practical nurse (lpn)s in China?

    Men working as an licensed practical nurse (lpn) in China earn around 9% less than women on average (267,100 vs 294,700 CNY a year).

  • Do licensed practical nurse (lpn)s in China get bonuses?

    About 59% of licensed practical nurse (lpn)s in China reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 2% to 7% of base salary.

  • Do licensed practical nurse (lpn)s earn more in the public or private sector in China?

    In China, the public sector pays an licensed practical nurse (lpn) about 6% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.

  • How often do licensed practical nurse (lpn)s in China get a pay raise?

    An licensed practical nurse (lpn) in China sees a raise of around 10% every 17 months, equivalent to roughly 7% a year.