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.

In 2024, approximately 67 percent of the total population in China lived in cities. The urbanization rate has increased steadily in China over the last decades. Degree of urbanization in China Urbanization is generally defined as a process of people migrating from rural to urban areas, during which towns and cities are formed and increase in size. Even though urbanization is not exclusively a modern phenomenon, industrialization and modernization did accelerate its progress. As shown in the statistic at hand, the degree of urbanization of China, the world's second-largest economy, rose from 36 percent in 2000 to around 51 percent in 2011. That year, the urban population surpassed the number of rural residents for the first time in the country's history.The urbanization rate varies greatly in different parts of China. While urbanization is lesser advanced in western or central China, in most coastal regions in eastern China more than two-thirds of the population lives already in cities. Among the ten largest Chinese cities in 2021, six were located in coastal regions in East and South China. Urbanization in international comparison Brazil and Russia, two other BRIC countries, display a much higher degree of urbanization than China. On the other hand, in India, the country with the worlds’ largest population, a mere 36.3 percent of the population lived in urban regions as of 2023. Similar to other parts of the world, the progress of urbanization in China is closely linked to modernization. From 2000 to 2024, the contribution of agriculture to the gross domestic product in China shrank from 14.7 percent to 6.8 percent. Even more evident was the decrease of workforce in agriculture.

Hong Kong HK: Population in Largest City: as % of Urban Population data was reported at 99.637 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 99.540 % for 2016. Hong Kong HK: Population in Largest City: as % of Urban Population data is updated yearly, averaging 99.382 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 100.000 % in 2010 and a record low of 94.548 % in 1974. Hong Kong HK: Population in Largest City: as % of Urban Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Hong Kong – Table HK.World Bank: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Population in largest city is the percentage of a country's urban population living in that country's largest metropolitan area.; ; United Nations, World Urbanization Prospects.; Weighted average;

In 2024, about 943.5 million people lived in urban regions in China and 464.8 million in rural. That year, the country had a total population of approximately 1.41 billion people. As of 2024, China was the second most populous country in the world. Urbanization in China Urbanization refers to the process by which people move from rural to urban areas and how a society adapts to the population shift. It is usually seen as a driving force in economic growth, accompanied by industrialization, modernization and the spread of education. Urbanization levels tend to be higher in industrial countries, whereas the degree of urbanization in developing countries remains relatively low. According to World Bank, a mere 19.4 percent of the Chinese population had been living in urban areas in 1980. Since then, China’s urban population has skyrocketed. By 2024, about 67 percent of the Chinese population lived in urban areas. Regional urbanization rates In the last decades, urbanization has progressed greatly in every region of China. Even in most of the more remote Chinese provinces, the urbanization rate surpassed 50 percent in recent years. However, the most urbanized areas are still to be found in the coastal eastern and southern regions of China. The population of Shanghai, the largest city in China and the world’s seventh largest city ranged at around 24 million people in 2023. China’s urban areas are characterized by a developing middle class. Per capita disposable income of Chinese urban households has more than doubled between 2010 and 2020. The emerging middle class is expected to become a significant driver for the continuing growth of the Chinese economy.

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.

Population in the largest city (% of urban population) in China was reported at 3.2342 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. China - Population in the largest city - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

China Population: City data was reported at 580.987 Person th in 2022. This records a decrease from the previous number of 601.812 Person th for 2021. China Population: City data is updated yearly, averaging 349.426 Person th from Dec 1982 (Median) to 2022, with 34 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 575,170.855 Person th in 2020 and a record low of 142.240 Person th in 1994. China Population: 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.GA: Population: Sample Survey: By Age and Sex: City.

This statistic depicts the household registered population in provincial capital cities and municipalities of China as of December 2021, by city. At the end of 2021, Chongqing municipality had a registered household population of about ***** million people.

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.

China is a vast and diverse country and population density in different regions varies greatly. In 2023, the estimated population density of the administrative area of Shanghai municipality reached about 3,922 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.

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: Education Level: City: Primary data was reported at 94.637 Person th in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 94.119 Person th for 2022. China Population: Education Level: City: Primary data is updated yearly, averaging 59.093 Person th from Dec 1997 (Median) to 2023, with 27 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 92,077.817 Person th in 2020 and a record low of 47.670 Person th in 2008. China Population: Education Level: City: Primary 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.

Population: City: Age 0 to 14: Beijing data was reported at 2.353 Person th in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 2.257 Person th for 2022. Population: City: Age 0 to 14: Beijing data is updated yearly, averaging 1.479 Person th from Dec 1997 (Median) to 2023, with 27 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2,152.936 Person th in 2020 and a record low of 0.838 Person th in 2003. Population: City: Age 0 to 14: Beijing 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 Region: City.

The graph shows the population growth in China from 2000 to 2024. In 2024, the Chinese population decreased by about 0.1 percent or 1.39 million to around 1.408 billion people. Declining population growth in China Due to strict birth control measures by the Chinese government as well as changing family and work situations of the Chinese people, population growth has subsided over the past decades. Although the gradual abolition of the one-child policy from 2014 on led to temporarily higher birth figures, growth rates further decreased in recent years. As of 2024, leading countries in population growth could almost exclusively be found on the African continent and the Arabian Peninsula. Nevertheless, as of mid 2024, Asia ranked first by a wide margin among the continents in terms of absolute population. Future development of Chinese population The Chinese population reached a maximum of 1,412.6 million people in 2021 but decreased by 850,000 in 2022 and another 2.08 million in 2023. Until 2022, China had still ranked the world’s most populous country, but it was overtaken by India in 2023. Apart from the population decrease, a clear growth trend in Chinese cities is visible. By 2024, around 67 percent of Chinese people lived in urban areas, compared to merely 36 percent in 2000.

Population: City: Age 15 to 64: Anhui data was reported at 13.705 Person th in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 13.631 Person th for 2022. Population: City: Age 15 to 64: Anhui data is updated yearly, averaging 8.738 Person th from Dec 1997 (Median) to 2023, with 27 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 11,787.862 Person th in 2020 and a record low of 3.193 Person th in 2002. Population: City: Age 15 to 64: Anhui 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 Region: City.

China Population: City: Age 30 to 34 data was reported at 53.290 Person th in 2023. This records a decrease from the previous number of 55.445 Person th for 2022. China Population: City: Age 30 to 34 data is updated yearly, averaging 35.119 Person th from Dec 1982 (Median) to 2023, with 35 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 60,075.584 Person th in 2020 and a record low of 13.751 Person th in 1994. China Population: City: 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.

Population: Household Registration: Urbanization Rate: Heilongjiang: Harbin data was reported at 56.260 % in 2022. This records an increase from the previous number of 55.800 % for 2021. Population: Household Registration: Urbanization Rate: Heilongjiang: Harbin data is updated yearly, averaging 48.300 % from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2022, with 23 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 56.260 % in 2022 and a record low of 46.800 % in 2001. Population: Household Registration: Urbanization Rate: Heilongjiang: Harbin data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Harbin Municipal Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Socio-Demographic – Table CN.GE: Population: Prefecture Level City: Urbanization Rate. Since 2015,the donotation of Non-agriculture Population has been adjusted to Urban Population.

Population: Usual Residence: Urbanization Rate: Beijing data was reported at 88.200 % in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 87.800 % for 2023. Population: Usual Residence: Urbanization Rate: Beijing data is updated yearly, averaging 86.233 % from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2024, with 25 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 88.200 % in 2024 and a record low of 77.545 % in 2000. Population: Usual Residence: Urbanization Rate: Beijing data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Beijing Municipal Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Socio-Demographic – Table CN.GE: Population: Prefecture Level City: Urbanization Rate.

China Population: City: Age 25 to 29 data was reported at 40.514 Person th in 2023. This records a decrease from the previous number of 40.888 Person th for 2022. China Population: City: Age 25 to 29 data is updated yearly, averaging 34.655 Person th from Dec 1982 (Median) to 2023, with 35 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 44,415.879 Person th in 2020 and a record low of 14.497 Person th in 1994. China Population: City: Age 25 to 29 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.

Population: Usual Residence: Urbanization Rate: Jiangsu: Zhenjiang data was reported at 80.700 % in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 80.200 % for 2022. Population: Usual Residence: Urbanization Rate: Jiangsu: Zhenjiang data is updated yearly, averaging 72.350 % from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2023, with 16 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 80.700 % in 2023 and a record low of 50.400 % in 2000. Population: Usual Residence: Urbanization Rate: Jiangsu: Zhenjiang data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Zhenjiang Municipal Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Socio-Demographic – Table CN.GE: Population: Prefecture Level City: Urbanization Rate.