Chinese zodiac · all 12 animals
2003 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Goat
癸未年 Water Goat, yin (阴)
Exact dates, who counts as a Goat, the element and matches, and how many babies China had in 2003.
The answer
2003 is the Year of the Goat in the Chinese zodiac: a Water Goat year, 癸未 (guǐ wèi) in the 60-year cycle. It runs from 1 February 2003 to 21 January 2004, so people born from 1 January to 31 January 2003 belong to the previous animal, the Horse. China recorded 15.99 million births in 2003.
2003 at a glance
- Animal
- Goat 羊 (yáng), eighth of the 12
- Element
- Water 水, yin (阴), from the stem 癸 (guǐ)
- 60-year cycle
- 癸未 guǐ wèi · the same Water Goat year was 1943 and comes again in 2063
- Starts
- Saturday, 1 February 2003 (Chinese New Year)
- Ends
- Wednesday, 21 January 2004 · the Year of the Monkey begins the next day
- Lichun
- 4 February 2003 · the solar-term start of spring, used as the year boundary by some almanacs
- Births in 2003
- 15.99 million in mainland China (NBS), −2.9% on 2002
- Age in 2026
- Turns 23 · next 本命年 (own zodiac year): 2027
- Best matches
- Pig and Rabbit (三合 trine), Horse (六合 pair) · clashes with the Ox
Born in 2003? Check the date first
The zodiac follows the lunar year, not the Western calendar year. In 2003 the cut-off was 1 February 2003.
| Born | Zodiac animal | Element | Cycle year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan – 31 Jan 2003 2003 | Horse 马 | Water | 壬午 |
| 1 Feb 2003 – 31 Dec 2003 | Goat 羊 | Water | 癸未 |
| 1 Jan 2004 – 21 Jan 2004 | Goat 羊 (still) | Water | 癸未 |
Some almanacs and Chinese astrologers use Lichun (4 February 2003 in 2003) 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 Goats: China’s births in 2003
The National Bureau of Statistics counted 15.99 million births in mainland China in 2003, −2.9% compared with 2002 (16.47 million); 2004 had 15.93 million. Among the 77 years from 1949 to 2025, 2003 ranks 62th for births.
These are calendar-year counts, so a few weeks of 2003’s babies belong to the Horse and the first weeks of 2004 to the Goat. Figures before the 1982 census come mainly from household registration, as the NBS notes.
What the Goat means
Tradition calls Goat people gentle, kind and creative, and pairs them best with the Pig and Rabbit. The element adds a layer: a Water Goat is read differently from a Wood Goat. In daily life in China the sign matters most for 本命年 and for New Year decorations, stamps and gifts in Goat years. Read the full Year of the Goat guide for the traits, matches and the stories behind the animal.
Other Years of the Goat
The Goat returns every 12 years; the element changes each time, so the Water Goat itself comes round only every 60.
| Year | Element and animal | Starts | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1943 | Water Goat 水羊 · 癸未 | 5 Feb 1943 | 24 Jan 1944 |
| 1955 | Wood Goat 木羊 · 乙未 | 24 Jan 1955 | 11 Feb 1956 |
| 1967 | Fire Goat 火羊 · 丁未 | 9 Feb 1967 | 29 Jan 1968 |
| 1979 | Earth Goat 土羊 · 己未 | 28 Jan 1979 | 15 Feb 1980 |
| 1991 | Metal Goat 金羊 · 辛未 | 15 Feb 1991 | 3 Feb 1992 |
| 2003 | Water Goat 水羊 · 癸未 | 1 Feb 2003 | 21 Jan 2004 |
| 2015 | Wood Goat 木羊 · 乙未 | 19 Feb 2015 | 7 Feb 2016 |
| 2027 | Fire Goat 火羊 · 丁未 | 6 Feb 2027 | 25 Jan 2028 |
| 2039 | Earth Goat 土羊 · 己未 | 24 Jan 2039 | 11 Feb 2040 |
| 2051 | Metal Goat 金羊 · 辛未 | 11 Feb 2051 | 31 Jan 2052 |
| 2063 | Water Goat 水羊 · 癸未 | 29 Jan 2063 | 16 Feb 2064 |
Matches for people born in 2003
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 2003
Western dates for the main Chinese festivals in 2003. The full year, with lunar months and solar terms, is on the Chinese calendar 2003 page.
- Chinese New Year
- 1 February 2003 春节
- Lantern Festival
- 15 February 2003 元宵节
- Qingming Festival
- 5 April 2003 清明节
- Dragon Boat Festival
- 4 June 2003 端午节
- Mid-Autumn Festival
- 11 September 2003 中秋节
- Chinese New Year’s Eve
- 31 January 2003 除夕
Questions readers ask
What Chinese zodiac animal is 2003?
2003 is the Year of the Goat (羊, yáng). In the full 60-year cycle it is 癸未, a Water Goat year, yin (阴). It began on 1 February 2003 and ended on 21 January 2004; 2004 is the Year of the Monkey.
I was born in January or February 2003. What is my Chinese zodiac sign?
It depends on the exact date. The Year of the Goat started on 1 February 2003. Born on or after that date, you are a Goat; born between 1 January and 31 January 2003, you are a Horse. Some Chinese almanacs and astrologers start the year at Lichun (立春, start of spring) instead, which fell on 4 February 2003 in 2003; the Lunar New Year rule is the one most people in China use.
What element is 2003 in the Chinese zodiac?
Water (水, shuǐ). The element comes from the heavenly stem 癸 (guǐ), which also makes 2003 a yin (阴) year. The same animal returns every 12 years, but the same element and animal together, the Water Goat, return only every 60 years: the previous one was 1943 and the next is 2063.
How old is someone born in 2003 in 2026?
Someone born in 2003 turns 23 in 2026 (22 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 24 for most of 2026.
When is the next Year of the Goat?
2027, starting on 6 February 2027. For someone born in 2003 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 2003?
About 15.99 million, according to the National Bureau of Statistics series, −2.9% compared with 2002. That ranks 2003 62th 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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