What Is the Volume of the Yellow River?

The Yellow River (Huang He) carries an average annual discharge of approximately 47 billion cubic meters. As China’s second-longest river and the world’s sixth-longest, it stretches about 5,464 km (3,395 mi) from the Bayan Har Mountains in Qinghai through nine provinces before emptying into the Bohai Sea. Its drainage basin covers roughly 752,000 km² (290,000 sq mi).

Flow varies dramatically: peak discharges occur during the summer flood season, while winter brings minimal flow. The river is famously silt-laden, averaging about 35 kg of sediment per cubic meter—making it one of the muddiest rivers on Earth. This sediment has built the vast North China Plain, one of the most densely populated regions in China.