In 2021, around **** million people were estimated to be living in the urban area of Shanghai. Shanghai was the largest city in China in 2021, followed by Beijing, with around **** million inhabitants. The rise of the new first-tier cities The past decades have seen widespread and rapid urbanization and demographic transition in China. While the four first-tier megacities, namely Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, are still highly attractive to people and companies due to their strong ability to synergize the competitive economic and social resources, some lower-tier cities are already facing declining populations, especially those in the northeastern region. Below the original four first-tier cities, 15 quickly developing cities are sharing the cake of the moving population with improving business vitality and GDP growth potential. These new first-tier cities are either municipalities directly under the central government, such as Chongqing and Tianjin, or regional central cities and provincial capitals, like Chengdu and Wuhan, or open coastal cities in the economically developed eastern regions. From urbanization to metropolitanization As more and more Chinese people migrate to large cities for better opportunities and quality of life, the ongoing urbanization has further evolved into metropolitanization. Among those metropolitans, Shenzhen's population exceeded **** million in 2020, a nearly ** percent increase from a decade ago, compared to eight percent in the already densely populated Shanghai. However, with people rushing into the big-four cities, the cost of housing, and other living standards, are soaring. As of 2020, the average sales price for residential real estate in Shenzhen exceeded ****** yuan per square meter. As a result, the fast-growing and more cost-effective new first-tier cities would be more appealing in the coming years. Furthermore, Shanghai and Beijing have set plans to control the size of their population to ** and ** million, respectively, before 2035.

China is a vast and diverse country and population density in different regions varies greatly. In 2024, the estimated population density of the administrative area of Shanghai municipality reached about 3,911 inhabitants per square kilometer, whereas statistically only around three people were living on one square kilometer in Tibet. Population distribution in China China's population is unevenly distributed across the country: while most people are living in the southeastern half of the country, the northwestern half – which includes the provinces and autonomous regions of Tibet, Xinjiang, Qinghai, Gansu, and Inner Mongolia – is only sparsely populated. Even the inhabitants of a single province might be unequally distributed within its borders. This is significantly influenced by the geography of each region, and is especially the case in the Guangdong, Fujian, or Sichuan provinces due to their mountain ranges. The Chinese provinces with the largest absolute population size are Guangdong in the south, Shandong in the east and Henan in Central China. Urbanization and city population Urbanization is one of the main factors which have been reshaping China over the last four decades. However, when comparing the size of cities and urban population density, one has to bear in mind that data often refers to the administrative area of cities or urban units, which might be much larger than the contiguous built-up area of that city. The administrative area of Beijing municipality, for example, includes large rural districts, where only around 200 inhabitants are living per square kilometer on average, while roughly 20,000 residents per square kilometer are living in the two central city districts. This is the main reason for the huge difference in population density between the four Chinese municipalities Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, and Chongqing shown in many population statistics.

China Population: Education Level: City: Primary: Female data was reported at 51.402 Person th in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 50.810 Person th for 2022. China Population: Education Level: City: Primary: Female data is updated yearly, averaging 31.382 Person th from Dec 1997 (Median) to 2023, with 27 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 49,064.541 Person th in 2020 and a record low of 25.979 Person th in 2008. China Population: Education Level: City: Primary: Female data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Socio-Demographic – Table CN.GA: Population: Sample Survey: Level of Education.

This statistic shows the population density in urban areas of China in 2023, by region. In 2023, cities in Heilongjiang province had the highest population density in China with around ***** people living on one square kilometer on average. However, as the administrative areas of many Chinese cities reach beyond their contiguous built-up urban areas - and this by varying degree, the statistical significance of the given figures may be limited. By comparison, the Chinese province with the highest overall population density is Jiangsu province in Eastern China reaching about 7956 people per square kilometer in 2023.

China Population: City: Female: Age 30 to 34 data was reported at 26.107 Person th in 2023. This records a decrease from the previous number of 27.300 Person th for 2022. China Population: City: Female: Age 30 to 34 data is updated yearly, averaging 17.819 Person th from Dec 1982 (Median) to 2023, with 35 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 29,556.203 Person th in 2020 and a record low of 6.818 Person th in 1994. China Population: City: Female: Age 30 to 34 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Socio-Demographic – Table CN.GA: Population: Sample Survey: By Age and Sex: City.

About this dataset

Context

This list ranks the 19,348 cities in the United States by Chinese population, as estimated by the United States Census Bureau. It also highlights population changes in each city over the past five years.

Content

When available, the data consists of estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, including:

• 2019-2023 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
• 2014-2018 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
• 2009-2013 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates

Variables / Data Columns

• Rank by Chinese Population: This column displays the rank of city in the United States by their Chinese population, using the most recent ACS data available.
• City: The City for which the rank is shown in the previous column.
• Chinese Population: The Chinese population of the city is shown in this column.
• % of Total City Population: This shows what percentage of the total city population identifies as Chinese. Please note that the sum of all percentages may not equal one due to rounding of values.
• % of Total United States Chinese Population: This tells us how much of the entire United States Chinese population lives in that city. Please note that the sum of all percentages may not equal one due to rounding of values.
• 5 Year Rank Trend: This column displays the rank trend across the last 5 years.

Good to know

Margin of Error

Data in the dataset are based on the estimates and are subject to sampling variability and thus a margin of error. Neilsberg Research recommends using caution when presening these estimates in your research.

Custom data

If you do need custom data for any of your research project, report or presentation, you can contact our research staff at research@neilsberg.com for a feasibility of a custom tabulation on a fee-for-service basis.

Inspiration

Neilsberg Research Team curates, analyze and publishes demographics and economic data from a variety of public and proprietary sources, each of which often includes multiple surveys and programs. The large majority of Neilsberg Research aggregated datasets and insights is made available for free download at https://www.neilsberg.com/research/.

About this dataset

Context

This list ranks the 473 cities in the California by Chinese population, as estimated by the United States Census Bureau. It also highlights population changes in each city over the past five years.

Content

When available, the data consists of estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, including:

• 2019-2023 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
• 2014-2018 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
• 2009-2013 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates

Variables / Data Columns

• Rank by Chinese Population: This column displays the rank of city in the California by their Chinese population, using the most recent ACS data available.
• City: The City for which the rank is shown in the previous column.
• Chinese Population: The Chinese population of the city is shown in this column.
• % of Total City Population: This shows what percentage of the total city population identifies as Chinese. Please note that the sum of all percentages may not equal one due to rounding of values.
• % of Total California Chinese Population: This tells us how much of the entire California Chinese population lives in that city. Please note that the sum of all percentages may not equal one due to rounding of values.
• 5 Year Rank Trend: This column displays the rank trend across the last 5 years.

Good to know

Margin of Error

Data in the dataset are based on the estimates and are subject to sampling variability and thus a margin of error. Neilsberg Research recommends using caution when presening these estimates in your research.

Custom data

If you do need custom data for any of your research project, report or presentation, you can contact our research staff at research@neilsberg.com for a feasibility of a custom tabulation on a fee-for-service basis.

Inspiration

Neilsberg Research Team curates, analyze and publishes demographics and economic data from a variety of public and proprietary sources, each of which often includes multiple surveys and programs. The large majority of Neilsberg Research aggregated datasets and insights is made available for free download at https://www.neilsberg.com/research/.

Nowhere has the scale and scope of urbanization been larger than in China over the last few decades. We analyze Chinese city development between the years 1996 and 2014 using data for the urbanized components of prefecture-level cities. We show that, despite much variability and fast economic and demographic change, China is undergoing transformations similar to the historical trajectory of other urban systems. We also show that the distinguishing signs of urban economies—superlinear scaling of agglomeration effects in economic productivity and economies of scale in land use—also characterize Chinese cities. We then analyze the structure of economic change in Chinese cities using a variety of metrics, characterizing employment, firms and households. Population size estimates remain a major challenge for Chinese cities, as official numbers are often reported based on the Hukou registration system. We use the information in the residuals to scaling relations for economic quantities to predict actual resident population and show that these estimates agree well with data for a subset of cities for which counts of total resident population exist. We conclude with a list of issues that must be better understood and measured to make sense of present urban development trajectories in China.

China Number of Prefecture Level City: Population over 4 Million data was reported at 22.000 Unit in 2020. This records an increase from the previous number of 20.000 Unit for 2019. China Number of Prefecture Level City: Population over 4 Million data is updated yearly, averaging 14.000 Unit from Dec 2002 (Median) to 2020, with 18 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 22.000 Unit in 2020 and a record low of 10.000 Unit in 2002. China Number of Prefecture Level City: Population over 4 Million data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Socio-Demographic – Table CN.GE: No of Prefecture Level City by Population.

Historical dataset of population level and growth rate for the Beijing, China metro area from 1950 to 2025.

About this dataset

Context

This list ranks the 123 cities in the Maryland by Chinese population, as estimated by the United States Census Bureau. It also highlights population changes in each city over the past five years.

Content

When available, the data consists of estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, including:

• 2019-2023 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
• 2014-2018 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
• 2009-2013 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates

Variables / Data Columns

• Rank by Chinese Population: This column displays the rank of city in the Maryland by their Chinese population, using the most recent ACS data available.
• City: The City for which the rank is shown in the previous column.
• Chinese Population: The Chinese population of the city is shown in this column.
• % of Total City Population: This shows what percentage of the total city population identifies as Chinese. Please note that the sum of all percentages may not equal one due to rounding of values.
• % of Total Maryland Chinese Population: This tells us how much of the entire Maryland Chinese population lives in that city. Please note that the sum of all percentages may not equal one due to rounding of values.
• 5 Year Rank Trend: This column displays the rank trend across the last 5 years.

Good to know

Margin of Error

Data in the dataset are based on the estimates and are subject to sampling variability and thus a margin of error. Neilsberg Research recommends using caution when presening these estimates in your research.

Custom data

If you do need custom data for any of your research project, report or presentation, you can contact our research staff at research@neilsberg.com for a feasibility of a custom tabulation on a fee-for-service basis.

Inspiration

Neilsberg Research Team curates, analyze and publishes demographics and economic data from a variety of public and proprietary sources, each of which often includes multiple surveys and programs. The large majority of Neilsberg Research aggregated datasets and insights is made available for free download at https://www.neilsberg.com/research/.

Historical dataset of population level and growth rate for the Jiaozhou, China metro area from 1950 to 2025.

About this dataset

Context

This list ranks the 964 cities in the Texas by Chinese population, as estimated by the United States Census Bureau. It also highlights population changes in each city over the past five years.

Content

When available, the data consists of estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, including:

• 2019-2023 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
• 2014-2018 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
• 2009-2013 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates

Variables / Data Columns

• Rank by Chinese Population: This column displays the rank of city in the Texas by their Chinese population, using the most recent ACS data available.
• City: The City for which the rank is shown in the previous column.
• Chinese Population: The Chinese population of the city is shown in this column.
• % of Total City Population: This shows what percentage of the total city population identifies as Chinese. Please note that the sum of all percentages may not equal one due to rounding of values.
• % of Total Texas Chinese Population: This tells us how much of the entire Texas Chinese population lives in that city. Please note that the sum of all percentages may not equal one due to rounding of values.
• 5 Year Rank Trend: This column displays the rank trend across the last 5 years.

Good to know

Margin of Error

Data in the dataset are based on the estimates and are subject to sampling variability and thus a margin of error. Neilsberg Research recommends using caution when presening these estimates in your research.

Custom data

If you do need custom data for any of your research project, report or presentation, you can contact our research staff at research@neilsberg.com for a feasibility of a custom tabulation on a fee-for-service basis.

Inspiration

Neilsberg Research Team curates, analyze and publishes demographics and economic data from a variety of public and proprietary sources, each of which often includes multiple surveys and programs. The large majority of Neilsberg Research aggregated datasets and insights is made available for free download at https://www.neilsberg.com/research/.

About this dataset

Context

This list ranks the 18 cities in the San Diego County, CA by Chinese population, as estimated by the United States Census Bureau. It also highlights population changes in each city over the past five years.

Content

When available, the data consists of estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, including:

• 2019-2023 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
• 2014-2018 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
• 2009-2013 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates

Variables / Data Columns

• Rank by Chinese Population: This column displays the rank of city in the San Diego County, CA by their Chinese population, using the most recent ACS data available.
• City: The City for which the rank is shown in the previous column.
• Chinese Population: The Chinese population of the city is shown in this column.
• % of Total City Population: This shows what percentage of the total city population identifies as Chinese. Please note that the sum of all percentages may not equal one due to rounding of values.
• % of Total San Diego County Chinese Population: This tells us how much of the entire San Diego County, CA Chinese population lives in that city. Please note that the sum of all percentages may not equal one due to rounding of values.
• 5 Year Rank Trend: This column displays the rank trend across the last 5 years.

Good to know

Margin of Error

Data in the dataset are based on the estimates and are subject to sampling variability and thus a margin of error. Neilsberg Research recommends using caution when presening these estimates in your research.

Custom data

If you do need custom data for any of your research project, report or presentation, you can contact our research staff at research@neilsberg.com for a feasibility of a custom tabulation on a fee-for-service basis.

Inspiration

Neilsberg Research Team curates, analyze and publishes demographics and economic data from a variety of public and proprietary sources, each of which often includes multiple surveys and programs. The large majority of Neilsberg Research aggregated datasets and insights is made available for free download at https://www.neilsberg.com/research/.

About this dataset

Context

This list ranks the 365 cities in the Florida by Chinese population, as estimated by the United States Census Bureau. It also highlights population changes in each city over the past five years.

Content

When available, the data consists of estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, including:

• 2019-2023 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
• 2014-2018 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
• 2009-2013 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates

Variables / Data Columns

• Rank by Chinese Population: This column displays the rank of city in the Florida by their Chinese population, using the most recent ACS data available.
• City: The City for which the rank is shown in the previous column.
• Chinese Population: The Chinese population of the city is shown in this column.
• % of Total City Population: This shows what percentage of the total city population identifies as Chinese. Please note that the sum of all percentages may not equal one due to rounding of values.
• % of Total Florida Chinese Population: This tells us how much of the entire Florida Chinese population lives in that city. Please note that the sum of all percentages may not equal one due to rounding of values.
• 5 Year Rank Trend: This column displays the rank trend across the last 5 years.

Good to know

Margin of Error

Data in the dataset are based on the estimates and are subject to sampling variability and thus a margin of error. Neilsberg Research recommends using caution when presening these estimates in your research.

Custom data

If you do need custom data for any of your research project, report or presentation, you can contact our research staff at research@neilsberg.com for a feasibility of a custom tabulation on a fee-for-service basis.

Inspiration

Neilsberg Research Team curates, analyze and publishes demographics and economic data from a variety of public and proprietary sources, each of which often includes multiple surveys and programs. The large majority of Neilsberg Research aggregated datasets and insights is made available for free download at https://www.neilsberg.com/research/.

About this dataset

Context

This list ranks the 238 cities in the Washington by Chinese population, as estimated by the United States Census Bureau. It also highlights population changes in each city over the past five years.

Content

When available, the data consists of estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, including:

• 2019-2023 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
• 2014-2018 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
• 2009-2013 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates

Variables / Data Columns

• Rank by Chinese Population: This column displays the rank of city in the Washington by their Chinese population, using the most recent ACS data available.
• City: The City for which the rank is shown in the previous column.
• Chinese Population: The Chinese population of the city is shown in this column.
• % of Total City Population: This shows what percentage of the total city population identifies as Chinese. Please note that the sum of all percentages may not equal one due to rounding of values.
• % of Total Washington Chinese Population: This tells us how much of the entire Washington Chinese population lives in that city. Please note that the sum of all percentages may not equal one due to rounding of values.
• 5 Year Rank Trend: This column displays the rank trend across the last 5 years.

Good to know

Margin of Error

Data in the dataset are based on the estimates and are subject to sampling variability and thus a margin of error. Neilsberg Research recommends using caution when presening these estimates in your research.

Custom data

If you do need custom data for any of your research project, report or presentation, you can contact our research staff at research@neilsberg.com for a feasibility of a custom tabulation on a fee-for-service basis.

Inspiration

Neilsberg Research Team curates, analyze and publishes demographics and economic data from a variety of public and proprietary sources, each of which often includes multiple surveys and programs. The large majority of Neilsberg Research aggregated datasets and insights is made available for free download at https://www.neilsberg.com/research/.

China Population: Prefecture Level City data was reported at 1,291,941.900 Person th in 2015. This records an increase from the previous number of 1,289,538.000 Person th for 2014. China Population: Prefecture Level City data is updated yearly, averaging 1,194,579.100 Person th from Dec 1996 (Median) to 2015, with 20 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1,291,941.900 Person th in 2015 and a record low of 897,719.200 Person th in 1997. China Population: Prefecture Level City data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Socio-Demographic – Table CN.GE: Population: Prefecture Level City.

Historical dataset of population level and growth rate for the Yangjiang, China metro area from 1950 to 2025.

Historical dataset of population level and growth rate for the Chongqing, China metro area from 1950 to 2025.

Historical dataset of population level and growth rate for the Shanghai, China metro area from 1950 to 2025.