Chinese zodiac · all 12 animals
1980 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Monkey
庚申年 Metal Monkey, yang (阳)
Exact dates, who counts as a Monkey, the element and matches, and how many babies China had in 1980.
The answer
1980 is the Year of the Monkey in the Chinese zodiac: a Metal Monkey year, 庚申 (gēng shēn) in the 60-year cycle. It runs from 16 February 1980 to 4 February 1981, so people born from 1 January to 15 February 1980 belong to the previous animal, the Goat. China recorded 17.87 million births in 1980.
1980 at a glance
- Animal
- Monkey 猴 (hóu), ninth of the 12
- Element
- Metal 金, yang (阳), from the stem 庚 (gēng)
- 60-year cycle
- 庚申 gēng shēn · the same Metal Monkey year was 1920 and comes again in 2040
- Starts
- Saturday, 16 February 1980 (Chinese New Year)
- Ends
- Wednesday, 4 February 1981 · the Year of the Rooster begins the next day
- Lichun
- 5 February 1980 · the solar-term start of spring, used as the year boundary by some almanacs
- Births in 1980
- 17.87 million in mainland China (NBS), +3.5% on 1979
- Age in 2026
- Turns 46 · next 本命年 (own zodiac year): 2028
- Best matches
- Rat and Dragon (三合 trine), Snake (六合 pair) · clashes with the Tiger
Born in 1980? Check the date first
The zodiac follows the lunar year, not the Western calendar year. In 1980 the cut-off was 16 February 1980.
| Born | Zodiac animal | Element | Cycle year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan – 15 Feb 1980 1980 | Goat 羊 | Earth | 己未 |
| 16 Feb 1980 – 31 Dec 1980 | Monkey 猴 | Metal | 庚申 |
| 1 Jan 1981 – 4 Feb 1981 | Monkey 猴 (still) | Metal | 庚申 |
Some almanacs and Chinese astrologers use Lichun (5 February 1980 in 1980) as the boundary instead, which can move a few days of January or February births to the other animal. The Lunar New Year rule is the everyday one. Not sure? Use the Chinese zodiac calculator.
How many Monkeys: China’s births in 1980
The National Bureau of Statistics counted 17.87 million births in mainland China in 1980, +3.5% compared with 1979 (17.27 million); 1981 had 20.78 million. Among the 77 years from 1949 to 2025, 1980 ranks 48th for births.
These are calendar-year counts, so a few weeks of 1980’s babies belong to the Goat and the first weeks of 1981 to the Monkey. Figures before the 1982 census come mainly from household registration, as the NBS notes.
What the Monkey means
Tradition calls Monkey people clever, lively and versatile, and pairs them best with the Rat and Dragon. The element adds a layer: a Metal Monkey is read differently from a Water Monkey. In daily life in China the sign matters most for 本命年 and for New Year decorations, stamps and gifts in Monkey years. Read the full Year of the Monkey guide for the traits, matches and the stories behind the animal.
Other Years of the Monkey
The Monkey returns every 12 years; the element changes each time, so the Metal Monkey itself comes round only every 60.
| Year | Element and animal | Starts | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 | Metal Monkey 金猴 · 庚申 | 20 Feb 1920 | 7 Feb 1921 |
| 1932 | Water Monkey 水猴 · 壬申 | 6 Feb 1932 | 25 Jan 1933 |
| 1944 | Wood Monkey 木猴 · 甲申 | 25 Jan 1944 | 12 Feb 1945 |
| 1956 | Fire Monkey 火猴 · 丙申 | 12 Feb 1956 | 30 Jan 1957 |
| 1968 | Earth Monkey 土猴 · 戊申 | 30 Jan 1968 | 16 Feb 1969 |
| 1980 | Metal Monkey 金猴 · 庚申 | 16 Feb 1980 | 4 Feb 1981 |
| 1992 | Water Monkey 水猴 · 壬申 | 4 Feb 1992 | 22 Jan 1993 |
| 2004 | Wood Monkey 木猴 · 甲申 | 22 Jan 2004 | 8 Feb 2005 |
| 2016 | Fire Monkey 火猴 · 丙申 | 8 Feb 2016 | 27 Jan 2017 |
| 2028 | Earth Monkey 土猴 · 戊申 | 26 Jan 2028 | 12 Feb 2029 |
| 2040 | Metal Monkey 金猴 · 庚申 | 12 Feb 2040 | 31 Jan 2041 |
Matches for people born in 1980
Traditional compatibility pairs the 12 animals on a wheel: the three animals four places apart form a 三合 (sānhé) trine, each animal has one 六合 (liùhé) partner, and the animal opposite is its 六冲 (liùchōng) clash. These are folk rules used in match-making and in choosing wedding dates, not predictions.
Festival dates in 1980
Western dates for the main Chinese festivals in 1980. The full year, with lunar months and solar terms, is on the Chinese calendar 1980 page.
- Chinese New Year
- 16 February 1980 春节
- Lantern Festival
- 1 March 1980 元宵节
- Qingming Festival
- 4 April 1980 清明节
- Dragon Boat Festival
- 17 June 1980 端午节
- Mid-Autumn Festival
- 23 September 1980 中秋节
- Chinese New Year’s Eve
- 15 February 1980 除夕
Questions readers ask
What Chinese zodiac animal is 1980?
1980 is the Year of the Monkey (猴, hóu). In the full 60-year cycle it is 庚申, a Metal Monkey year, yang (阳). It began on 16 February 1980 and ended on 4 February 1981; 1981 is the Year of the Rooster.
I was born in January or February 1980. What is my Chinese zodiac sign?
It depends on the exact date. The Year of the Monkey started on 16 February 1980. Born on or after that date, you are a Monkey; born between 1 January and 15 February 1980, you are a Goat. Some Chinese almanacs and astrologers start the year at Lichun (立春, start of spring) instead, which fell on 5 February 1980 in 1980; the Lunar New Year rule is the one most people in China use.
What element is 1980 in the Chinese zodiac?
Metal (金, jīn). The element comes from the heavenly stem 庚 (gēng), which also makes 1980 a yang (阳) year. The same animal returns every 12 years, but the same element and animal together, the Metal Monkey, return only every 60 years: the previous one was 1920 and the next is 2040.
How old is someone born in 1980 in 2026?
Someone born in 1980 turns 46 in 2026 (45 until their birthday). In traditional Chinese reckoning (虚岁, xūsuì) a person is one at birth and gains a year at Lunar New Year, so the same person counts as 47 for most of 2026.
When is the next Year of the Monkey?
2028, starting on 26 January 2028. For someone born in 1980 that is a 本命年 (běnmìngnián), their own zodiac year, which tradition treats as a year to be careful in; many people wear something red for it.
How many babies were born in China in 1980?
About 17.87 million, according to the National Bureau of Statistics series, +3.5% compared with 1979. That ranks 1980 48th of the 77 years from 1949 to 2025.
Tools
Sources
- Hong Kong Observatory, Gregorian-Lunar calendar conversion tables, 1901–2100 (Lunar New Year dates) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- National Bureau of Statistics of China, National Data (年度数据 → 人口 → 出生人口) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- NBS, statistical communiqué on 2024 national economic and social development (births 9.54 million) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- NBS, statistical communiqué on 2025 national economic and social development (births 7.92 million) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- NBS public Q&A: where to find births for years before 1982 (data.stats.gov.cn; pre-1982 data from household registration) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, Chinese zodiac (animals, stems and the 60-year cycle) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- China Daily, What is benmingnian? (2 January 2024, in Chinese) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
Update log. 31 October 2026 — published. Lunar New Year and Lichun dates computed in Beijing time and checked against the Hong Kong Observatory tables; births from the National Bureau of Statistics annual series. Suggest a correction
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