Based on the data of previous Chinese censuses, this paper briefly reviews the development process of the development of China’s ethnic minority population, discusses the differences in the population number and population growth trend of Chinese ethnic groups, and discusses the characteristics and change trend of China’s ethnic minority population in terms of regional distribution, age structure, mobility level, inter ethnic intermarriage and education level. Referring to the data of the seventh national census, this paper gives a preliminary judgment on the population situation of China’s ethnic minorities in 2020.