Health Record Rights Index · country brief · this country's data as of October 2, 2026
Who holds the health record in China?
In 2026, China scores 43 out of 100 for how much say a person has over their own health record. It is tied for 80th of 198 countries and territories, and could rank anywhere from 59th to 106th allowing for scoring error, in the Weak band (25 to 44). Who holds the keys: the government. Source: Health Record Rights Index, SuperTruth, this country's data as of October 2, 2026.
The government decides, with limited say for the person. Its strongest right, compared with the typical country, is rules for AI in your care (62 out of 100, against 30 for the typical country). The furthest behind is protection from sale and ads (38 out of 100, against 45 for the typical country).
Over 9,000 public hospitals feed provincial data platforms, but patients can copy only listed parts of their chart and cannot see who looked.
Published · updated · this country's data as of October 2, 2026 · research tool, not legal advice
overall score · Weak band, 25 to 44
43/100
rank among 198 countries and territories; likely 59th to 106th, allowing for scoring error
In 2026, getting your full record scores 35 out of 100 in China; the typical country scores 40 to 45. The Civil Code lets patients read and copy listed record types, and the 2013 rules list what hospitals may copy, leaving out progress notes, with a fee and no fixed deadline. Public health files are opening to residents county by county, a target for 2026. Source: mod.gov.cn, June 2, 2020, and the other sources below.
Who controls health records in China?
In 2026, the government holds the keys to your health record in China. Control over who sees it scores 30 out of 100 in China; the typical country scores 30. PIPL needs separate consent for health data and lets people withdraw it, but statutory duties and public health emergencies need no consent. Hospitals feed provincial platforms by default, with no national opt-out and no patient-visible access log found. Source: Cyberspace Administration of China, August 20, 2021, and the other sources below.
How does China compare?
In 2026, China scores 43 out of 100, against 39 for the typical country. This brief compares it with Brunei (43 out of 100), Malaysia (43 out of 100) and India (45 out of 100). Source: the ranking of all 198 countries and territories.
Eight rights, compared with Brunei, Malaysia, India and the typical country
Scores out of 100, by right
Getting your full record20%
35
35 · 40 · 55
Control over who sees it20%
30
30 · 45 · 50
Privacy and security15%
45
40 · 48 · 35
One record across your care15%
60
65 · 38 · 45
Protection from sale and ads10%
38
40 · 50 · 35
Doctors see it when treating you10%
50
62 · 32 · 35
Your say over research use5%
49
46 · 46 · 46
Rules for AI in your care5%
62
30 · 45 · 55
Black dot: China. Hollow dots: Brunei, Malaysia, India (scores out of 100 on the right, same order). Gray line: the typical country of all 198. Overall: China 43 out of 100. Scores move in steps of about 5 points, so read a rank with its likely range.
What would China need to change to score higher?
China sits in Weak (25 to 44); Mixed starts at 45. Its two weakest rights, compared with the typical country and weighted by how much each counts, are getting your full record (35 out of 100, against 40 to 45 for the typical country) and protection from sale and ads (38 out of 100, against 45 for the typical country). Our scoring rules give more points for:
Getting your full record: A national portal that shows most people at least part of their record (a summary, prescriptions, lab results) puts this right at 60 to 75 out of 100. A near-full record that you can download, with a long history and used by most people, puts it at 76 to 90.
Protection from sale and ads: Clear limits on selling health data or using it for ads, covering apps and data brokers as well as doctors and hospitals.
Which laws give health record rights in China?
Personal Information Protection Law (2021): Health data is sensitive and needs separate consent; no consent needed for statutory duties.
Civil Code (Articles 1034, 1225, 1226) (2020): Patients may read and copy listed records; hospitals must keep patient information confidential.
Medical Record Management Rules for Medical Institutions (2013): Lists copyable record parts, allows a cost fee, sets 15 and 30 year retention.
Doctors, waits and private care context, not part of the score
May 8, 2026 · Supreme People's Court of China (typical cases) · archived copy Hospital booking contractor secretly copied millions of patients' details, court rules
November 18, 2024 · Health China (健康界) Court finds hospital rewrote a patient's electronic record after discharge; hospital pays in full
Who to contact in China
Not legal advice. Laws, offices and websites can change, so check with the office itself before you rely on anything here.
For China, we list one official office to contact about your health record, as of :
See your record: ask the records office of your doctor, hospital or clinic
Privacy regulator:国家互联网信息办公室 (Cyberspace Administration of China)
In 2026, China scored 43 out of 100 for how much say a person has over their own health record, tied for 80th of 198 countries and territories (could be 59th to 106th), in the Weak band. Who holds the keys: the government. Source: Health Record Rights Index, SuperTruth, this country's data as of October 2, 2026, https://healthrecordrights.com/brief/china/
The 19 sources for China
Each source appears once, under the first right it supports. Titles are shown as our research agents recorded them, usually in the page's own language; text in square brackets is our machine translation. Links were checked on the date shown.
Getting your full record (4 sources)
“Civil Code of the People's Republic of China (Xinhua text on Ministry of National Defense site)”
mod.gov.cn (law or regulation) · Title in English
Dated June 2, 2020 · Link checked October 2, 2026 (opened)
SuperTruth Inc. · 24 S. 24th St., Philadelphia, PA 19103, USA · +1 215 918 4140 · supertruth.ai Something wrong? Tell us · Questions or a briefing: supertruth.ai/on-the-record#contact · Full index: healthrecordrights.com
OECD: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (38 mostly high-income countries). DTI™: the Data Trust Index, which grades the evidence behind each score. SuperTruth makes it and publishes this index. Everything here comes from public information: laws, government and regulator pages, court decisions, published news, WHO, OECD and World Bank data. Full sources: https://healthrecordrights.com/brief/china/#sources. SuperTruth built this index and sells health data verification products; no one paid to be included. Research tool, not legal advice. Our scores and our own words are CC BY 4.0; quoted law and source titles stay with their owners.
