The Challenges Faced by Unregistered Individuals in China's Household Registration System: An Approach Focused on Rights

China's household registration system (hukou) has undergone major reforms, yet some remain unregistered, facing exclusion from education, healthcare, and social welfare. Non-registered persons (NRPs) continue to experience barriers to legal recognition. While policy changes have reduced the scale of the problem, fieldwork and recent data reveal persistent gaps in implementation, legal remedies, and equal treatment across provinces. This article situates the NRP issue within the broader transformation of China's hukou system and demographic transition, highlighting the tension between administrative control and rights protection. It argues that inclusive legislation, uniform registration procedures, and enforceable legal remedies are essential to eliminating hukou exclusion and ensuring that citizenship rights are universally upheld.