On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an approval rating of 98% based on 90 reviews, with an average rating of 8.39/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "As illuminating as it is accessible, One Child Nation probes a painful chapter in Chinese history with piercing clarity."[4] Metacritic surveyed 25 critics and assigned the film an average weighted score of 85 out of 100, indicating "universal acclaim".[5]