In 2021, around 27.8 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 20.9 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 17.6 million in 2020, a nearly 70 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 56,800 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 25 and 23 million, respectively, before 2035.

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.

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, 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.

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.

Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.

Population: Guangdong: Guangzhou: Household Registration data was reported at 10,566.070 Person th in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 10,349.074 Person th for 2022. Population: Guangdong: Guangzhou: Household Registration data is updated yearly, averaging 7,066.438 Person th from Dec 1978 (Median) to 2023, with 46 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 10,566.070 Person th in 2023 and a record low of 4,828.961 Person th in 1978. Population: Guangdong: Guangzhou: Household Registration data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Guangzhou Municipal Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Socio-Demographic – Table CN.GE: Population: Prefecture Level City.

Population: City: Age 0 to 14: Tianjin data was reported at 1.381 Person th in 2022. This records a decrease from the previous number of 1.473 Person th for 2021. Population: City: Age 0 to 14: Tianjin data is updated yearly, averaging 0.899 Person th from Dec 1997 (Median) to 2022, with 26 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1,436.681 Person th in 2020 and a record low of 0.493 Person th in 2008. Population: City: Age 0 to 14: Tianjin 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.

Chart and table of population level and growth rate for the Shanghai, China metro area from 1950 to 2025. United Nations population projections are also included through the year 2035.

This statistic illustrates the population of the Guangdong - Hong Kong - Macao Greater Bay Area cities in 2023. That year, the population of Guangzhou amounted to approximately 18.83 million people, making it the largest city by population in the region.

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 5,361 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: Male: Age 30 to 34 data was reported at 28.145 Person th in 2022. This records a decrease from the previous number of 30.557 Person th for 2021. China Population: City: Male: Age 30 to 34 data is updated yearly, averaging 17.087 Person th from Dec 1982 (Median) to 2022, with 34 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 30,519.381 Person th in 2020 and a record low of 6.933 Person th in 1994. China Population: City: Male: 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.

This dataset is about cities and is filtered where the country includes China, featuring 2 columns: city, and country. The preview is ordered by population (descending).

Chart and table of population level and growth rate for the Cixi, China metro area from 1950 to 2025. United Nations population projections are also included through the year 2035.

Forecast: Population with Access of Natural Gas in Cities in China 2024 - 2028 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

Chart and table of population level and growth rate for the Wuzhou, China metro area from 1950 to 2025. United Nations population projections are also included through the year 2035.

Chart and table of population level and growth rate for the Changchun, China metro area from 1950 to 2025. United Nations population projections are also included through the year 2035.

Chart and table of population level and growth rate for the Liaoyuan, China metro area from 1950 to 2025. United Nations population projections are also included through the year 2035.

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 34.15 million people.

China Number of Prefecture Level City: Population 1 - 2 Million data was reported at 96.000 Unit in 2020. This records a decrease from the previous number of 98.000 Unit for 2019. China Number of Prefecture Level City: Population 1 - 2 Million data is updated yearly, averaging 82.000 Unit from Dec 1978 (Median) to 2020, with 17 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 100.000 Unit in 2017 and a record low of 19.000 Unit in 1978. China Number of Prefecture Level City: Population 1 - 2 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.