Chinese zodiac · all 12 animals
2002 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Horse
壬午年 Water Horse, yang (阳)
Exact dates, who counts as a Horse, the element and matches, and how many babies China had in 2002.
The answer
2002 is the Year of the Horse in the Chinese zodiac: a Water Horse year, 壬午 (rén wǔ) in the 60-year cycle. It runs from 12 February 2002 to 31 January 2003, so people born from 1 January to 11 February 2002 belong to the previous animal, the Snake. China recorded 16.47 million births in 2002.
2002 at a glance
- Animal
- Horse 马 (mǎ), seventh of the 12
- Element
- Water 水, yang (阳), from the stem 壬 (rén)
- 60-year cycle
- 壬午 rén wǔ · the same Water Horse year was 1942 and comes again in 2062
- Starts
- Tuesday, 12 February 2002 (Chinese New Year)
- Ends
- Friday, 31 January 2003 · the Year of the Goat begins the next day
- Lichun
- 4 February 2002 · the solar-term start of spring, used as the year boundary by some almanacs
- Births in 2002
- 16.47 million in mainland China (NBS), −3.2% on 2001
- Age in 2026
- Turns 24 · next 本命年 (own zodiac year): 2026 (this year)
- Best matches
- Dog and Tiger (三合 trine), Goat (六合 pair) · clashes with the Rat
Born in 2002? Check the date first
The zodiac follows the lunar year, not the Western calendar year. In 2002 the cut-off was 12 February 2002.
| Born | Zodiac animal | Element | Cycle year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan – 11 Feb 2002 2002 | Snake 蛇 | Metal | 辛巳 |
| 12 Feb 2002 – 31 Dec 2002 | Horse 马 | Water | 壬午 |
| 1 Jan 2003 – 31 Jan 2003 | Horse 马 (still) | Water | 壬午 |
Some almanacs and Chinese astrologers use Lichun (4 February 2002 in 2002) 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 Horses: China’s births in 2002
The National Bureau of Statistics counted 16.47 million births in mainland China in 2002, −3.2% compared with 2001 (17.02 million); 2003 had 15.99 million. Among the 77 years from 1949 to 2025, 2002 ranks 59th for births.
These are calendar-year counts, so a few weeks of 2002’s babies belong to the Snake and the first weeks of 2003 to the Horse. Figures before the 1982 census come mainly from household registration, as the NBS notes.
What the Horse means
Tradition calls Horse people energetic, independent and adventurous. The element adds a layer: a Water Horse is read differently from a Wood Horse. In daily life in China the sign matters most for 本命年 and for New Year decorations, stamps and gifts in Horse years. Read the full Year of the Horse guide for the traits, matches and the stories behind the animal.
Other Years of the Horse
The Horse returns every 12 years; the element changes each time, so the Water Horse itself comes round only every 60.
| Year | Element and animal | Starts | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 | Water Horse 水马 · 壬午 | 15 Feb 1942 | 4 Feb 1943 |
| 1954 | Wood Horse 木马 · 甲午 | 3 Feb 1954 | 23 Jan 1955 |
| 1966 | Fire Horse 火马 · 丙午 | 21 Jan 1966 | 8 Feb 1967 |
| 1978 | Earth Horse 土马 · 戊午 | 7 Feb 1978 | 27 Jan 1979 |
| 1990 | Metal Horse 金马 · 庚午 | 27 Jan 1990 | 14 Feb 1991 |
| 2002 | Water Horse 水马 · 壬午 | 12 Feb 2002 | 31 Jan 2003 |
| 2014 | Wood Horse 木马 · 甲午 | 31 Jan 2014 | 18 Feb 2015 |
| 2026 | Fire Horse 火马 · 丙午 | 17 Feb 2026 | 5 Feb 2027 |
| 2038 | Earth Horse 土马 · 戊午 | 4 Feb 2038 | 23 Jan 2039 |
| 2050 | Metal Horse 金马 · 庚午 | 23 Jan 2050 | 10 Feb 2051 |
| 2062 | Water Horse 水马 · 壬午 | 9 Feb 2062 | 28 Jan 2063 |
Matches for people born in 2002
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 2002
Western dates for the main Chinese festivals in 2002. The full year, with lunar months and solar terms, is on the Chinese calendar 2002 page.
- Chinese New Year
- 12 February 2002 春节
- Lantern Festival
- 26 February 2002 元宵节
- Qingming Festival
- 5 April 2002 清明节
- Dragon Boat Festival
- 15 June 2002 端午节
- Mid-Autumn Festival
- 21 September 2002 中秋节
- Chinese New Year’s Eve
- 11 February 2002 除夕
Questions readers ask
What Chinese zodiac animal is 2002?
2002 is the Year of the Horse (马, mǎ). In the full 60-year cycle it is 壬午, a Water Horse year, yang (阳). It began on 12 February 2002 and ended on 31 January 2003; 2003 is the Year of the Goat.
I was born in January or February 2002. What is my Chinese zodiac sign?
It depends on the exact date. The Year of the Horse started on 12 February 2002. Born on or after that date, you are a Horse; born between 1 January and 11 February 2002, you are a Snake. Some Chinese almanacs and astrologers start the year at Lichun (立春, start of spring) instead, which fell on 4 February 2002 in 2002; the Lunar New Year rule is the one most people in China use.
What element is 2002 in the Chinese zodiac?
Water (水, shuǐ). The element comes from the heavenly stem 壬 (rén), which also makes 2002 a yang (阳) year. The same animal returns every 12 years, but the same element and animal together, the Water Horse, return only every 60 years: the previous one was 1942 and the next is 2062.
How old is someone born in 2002 in 2026?
Someone born in 2002 turns 24 in 2026 (23 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 25 for most of 2026.
When is the next Year of the Horse?
2038, starting on 4 February 2038. For someone born in 2002 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 2002?
About 16.47 million, according to the National Bureau of Statistics series, −3.2% compared with 2001. That ranks 2002 59th 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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