In 2023, Shanghai was the city with the largest GDP in China, reaching a value added of approximately *** trillion yuan. The four Chinese first-tier cites Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou had by far the strongest economic performance. Development of Chinese cities Rapid urbanization and economic growth have reshaped all Chinese cities since the economic opening up of China. While the first-tier cities have overall benefitted most from this development, the last two decades have seen many second-tier cities catching up. For many years already, growth rates in Qingdao, Hangzhou, Changsha, and Zhengzhou have been higher than in Shanghai or Beijing.This development was driven by lower costs in smaller cities, a specialization of their economies, and political measures to support inland cities and ease the pressure on the largest municipalities. Today, per capita GDP in cities such as Suzhou, Nanjing, and Shenzhen is already higher than in Beijing or Shanghai. Future perspectives Competition between cities will further change China’s urban landscape in the future. Medium-sized cities that can provide an attractive economic environment have the potential to grow their economy at a faster pace, attract immigration, and further increase their relative importance. Cities that are losing their competitive edge, however, like Shenyang, Dalian, and other cities in the northeastern rustbelt, are increasingly confronted by economic stagnation and demographic decline.

In January 2024, approximately ******* hoseholds in Beijing owned assets worth *********** yuan ore more. Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong were home to by far the highest number of millionaires in Greater China.

According to the Hurun Global Rich List 2025, the city with the highest number of billionaires in 2025 was New York. In detail, *** billionaires resided in the American city. Furthermore, ** billionaires lived in London, while Shanghai had a billionaire population of ** individuals. New York was the only city in the world with more than 100 billionaires that year. Mega-cities of the world A large number of the world’s billionaires are concentrated in a select number of the world’s megacities. This has as much to do with the location of their wealth, business interests, and further earning potential as it does with the quality of life in those cities. A look at the most significant industries in the global billionaire production line helps to explain the prominence of the traditional capitals of global business, including New York, London, and Hong Kong. The place of many Chinese cities on the list can in part be explained by the strong performance of industrial conglomerates from the country recently. Economic growth in China While New York is the city with the highest number of billionaires, China now boasts the most billionaires of any country in the world. However, ***** of the top ten wealthiest billionaires still came from the United States as of 2025.

In 2021, the highest per capita gross domestic product (GDP) of major cities in China had been reached in Beijing, amounting to about ******* yuan per person. Per capita GDP of cities may vary largely in China, from ** to ** thousand yuan in smaller and remote cities in the countryside to nearly ******* yuan in large cities.

GDP: Hebei: Hengshui data was reported at 197.180 RMB bn in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 188.810 RMB bn for 2023. GDP: Hebei: Hengshui data is updated yearly, averaging 78.182 RMB bn from Dec 1991 (Median) to 2024, with 29 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 197.180 RMB bn in 2024 and a record low of 0.752 RMB bn in 1991. GDP: Hebei: Hengshui data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Hengshui Municipal Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s National Accounts – Table CN.AE: Gross Domestic Product: Prefecture Level City.

This statistic shows the number of super rich households in Greater China as of January 2024, by city. In January 2024, approximately ****** households owning assets of 100 million Chinese yuan or more existed in Beijing.

In 2024, the annual per capita gross domestic product (GDP) in different provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions in China varied from approximately 228,200 yuan in Beijing municipality to roughly 52,800 yuan in Gansu province. The average national per capita GDP crossed the threshold of 10,000 U.S. dollars in 2019 and reached around 95,700 yuan in 2024. Regional economic differences in China The level of economic development varies considerably in different parts of China. Four major geographic and economic regions can be discerned in the country: The economically advanced coastal regions in the east, less developed regions in Northeast and Central China, and the developing regions in the west. This division has deep historical roots reflecting the geography of each region and their political past and present. Furthermore, regional economic development closely correlates with regional urbanization rates, which closely resembles the borders of the four main economic regions. Private income in different parts of China Breaking the average income figures further down by province, municipality, or autonomous region reveals that the average disposable income in Shanghai or Beijing is on average more than three times higher than in Tibet or Gansu province. In rural areas, average disposable income is often only between one third and one half of that in urban areas of the same region. Accordingly, consumer expenditure per capita in urban areas reaches the highest levels in Shanghai, Beijing, and the coastal regions of China.

As of January 2025, Zhang Yiming topped the list of the richest people in China with a net worth of 60 billion U.S. dollars. Zhong Shanshan, founder of the beverage company Nongfu Spring, and Ma Huateng, founder of the IT giant Tencent, came in second and third respectively, while Ma Yun, founder of the IT giant Alibaba, fell back to the tenth place. Ultra-high net worth individuals (UHNWI) in China Net worth refers to the amount of value by which an individual’s assets exceed their liabilities. It is usually cited to demonstrate the economic position of a person. Following China’s extensive economic development over the past two decades, the number of wealthy people had been rapidly growing as well. According to Hurun Research Institute, Greater China was the region with the second largest number of billionaires worldwide as of 2025, with a total number of 870 billionaires. As of February 2025, the number of millionaires had amounted to approximately 19,000 people in Beijing alone. Unsurprisingly, the majority of high-net worth individuals lives in one of the four first-tier cities Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen. Chinese billionaire's sources of wealth Chinese millionaires have accumulated their wealth primarily as private entrepreneurs. Most of the people listed among the 20 wealthiest Chinese in 2024 had owned their own companies. Zhang Yiming, who topped the list of richest people in China in 2025, has made his fortune as founder of BytaDance and Douyin, the social media platform internationally known as TikTok.

Average Wage: On Duty: Liaoning: Anshan data was reported at 79,137.000 RMB in 2022. This records an increase from the previous number of 76,692.000 RMB for 2021. Average Wage: On Duty: Liaoning: Anshan data is updated yearly, averaging 30,432.650 RMB from Dec 1996 (Median) to 2022, with 27 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 79,137.000 RMB in 2022 and a record low of 5,451.000 RMB in 1996. Average Wage: On Duty: Liaoning: Anshan data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Anshan Municipal Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Labour Market – Table CN.GG: Average Wage: On Duty: Prefecture Level City.

Per capita gross domestic product (GDP) of cities in China varies tremendously, mainly depending on the location of the city. Cities with the highest per capita GDP are mainly to be found in coastal provinces in East China and in South China, like Guangdong province. The poorest cities are located in the still less developed western parts of China, like Gansu province, or in the Chinese rust belt in Northeastern China, like Heilongjiang province.

This dataset provides values for GDP reported in several countries. The data includes current values, previous releases, historical highs and record lows, release frequency, reported unit and currency.

This dataset provides values for GDP PER CAPITA reported in several countries. The data includes current values, previous releases, historical highs and record lows, release frequency, reported unit and currency.

In 2024, the average annual per capita disposable income of rural households in China was approximately ****** yuan, roughly ** percent of the income of urban households. Although living standards in China’s rural areas have improved significantly over the past 20 years, the income gap between rural and urban households is still large. Income increase of China’s households From 2000 to 2020, disposable income per capita in China increased by around *** percent. The fast-growing economy has inevitably led to the rapid income increase. Furthermore, inflation has been maintained at a lower rate in recent years compared to other countries. While the number of millionaires in China has increased, many of its population are still living in humble conditions. Consequently, the significant wealth gap between China’s rich and poor has become a social problem across the country. However, in recent years rural areas have been catching up and disposable income has been growing faster than in the cities. This development is also reflected in the Gini coefficient for China, which has decreased since 2008. Urbanization in China The urban population in China surpassed its rural population for the first time in 2011. In fact, the share of the population residing in urban areas is continuing to increase. This is not surprising considering remote, rural areas are among the poorest areas in China. Currently, poverty alleviation has been prioritized by the Chinese government. The measures that the government has taken are related to relocation and job placement. With the transformation and expansion of cities to accommodate the influx of city dwellers, neighboring rural areas are required for the development of infrastructure. Accordingly, land acquisition by the government has resulted in monetary gain by some rural households.

According to the Hurun Global Rich List 2025, the United States housed the highest number of billionaires worldwide in 2025. In detail, there were *** billionaires living in the United States as of January that year. By comparison, *** billionaires resided in China. India, the United Kingdom, and Germany were also the homes of a significant number of billionaires that year. United States has regained its first place As the founder and exporter of consumer capitalism, it is no surprise that the United States is home to a large number of billionaires. Although China had briefly overtaken the U.S. recently, the United States has reclaimed its position as the country with the most billionaires in the world. Moreover, North America leads the way in terms of the highest number of ultra high net worth individuals – those with a net worth of more than ***** million U.S. dollars. The prominence of Europe and North America is a reflection of the higher degree of economic development in those states. However, this may also change as China and other emerging economies continue developing. Female billionaires Moreover, the small proportion of female billionaires does little to counter critics claiming the global economy is dominated by an elite comprised mainly of men. On the list of the richest people in the world, only *** were women. Moreover, recent political discourse has put a great amount of attention on the wealth held by the super-rich, with the wealth distribution of the global population being heavily unequal.

In 2024, the average annual per capita disposable income of households in China amounted to approximately 41,300 yuan. Annual per capita income in Chinese saw a significant rise over the last decades and is still rising at a high pace. During the last ten years, per capita disposable income roughly doubled in China. Income distribution in China As an emerging economy, China faces a large number of development challenges, one of the most pressing issues being income inequality. The income gap between rural and urban areas has been stirring social unrest in China and poses a serious threat to the dogma of a “harmonious society” proclaimed by the communist party. In contrast to the disposable income of urban households, which reached around 54,200 yuan in 2024, that of rural households only amounted to around 23,100 yuan. Coinciding with the urban-rural income gap, income disparities between coastal and western regions in China have become apparent. As of 2023, households in Shanghai and Beijing displayed the highest average annual income of around 84,800 and 81,900 yuan respectively, followed by Zhejiang province with 63,800 yuan. Gansu, a province located in the West of China, had the lowest average annual per capita household income in China with merely 25,000 yuan. Income inequality in China The Gini coefficient is the most commonly used measure of income inequality. For China, the official Gini coefficient also indicates the astonishing inequality of income distribution in the country. Although the Gini coefficient has dropped from its high in 2008 at 49.1 points, it still ranged at a score of 46.5 points in 2023. The United Nations have set an index value of 40 as a warning level for serious inequality in a society.

Between September 2024 and August 2025, Chinese billionaire Li Ping and Liao Mei donated 1.1 billion yuan to charity, more than any other philantropist in Greater China. Mr Li is a co-founder of CATL, a Chinese battery manufacturer and technology company

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.

In 2023, by far the highest number of individuals with net assets of at least ** million U.S. dollars worldwide were residing in North America, reaching over ******* people. Asia recorded the second highest number of UHNWIs in the world with over ******* individuals.A small share owns vast sums of wealthThe vast majority of global wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few people. Only *** percent of the global population owns assets worth more than *** million U.S. dollars. The richest people in the world are Elon Mask, Jeff Bezos, and Bernard Arnault. When it comes to women, Francoise Bettencourt Meyers led the ranking of the most affluent women worldwide. The wealth of over ** percent of UHNWIs was self-made. Where UHNWIs live and where they leave Unsurprisingly, as North America is the world region with the highest number of UHNWIs, the United States is the country with the highest UHNWI count. However, Hong Kong, special administrative (SAR) region in China, is the city with the highest number of UHNWIs. Nevertheless, China was the country that recorded the highest outflux of UHNWIs in 2022.

Portugal, Canada, and the United States were the countries with the highest house price to income ratio in 2024. In all three countries, the index exceeded 130 index points, while the average for all OECD countries stood at 116.2 index points. The index measures the development of housing affordability and is calculated by dividing nominal house price by nominal disposable income per head, with 2015 set as a base year when the index amounted to 100. An index value of 120, for example, would mean that house price growth has outpaced income growth by 20 percent since 2015. How have house prices worldwide changed since the COVID-19 pandemic? House prices started to rise gradually after the global financial crisis (2007–2008), but this trend accelerated with the pandemic. The countries with advanced economies, which usually have mature housing markets, experienced stronger growth than countries with emerging economies. Real house price growth (accounting for inflation) peaked in 2022 and has since lost some of the gain. Although, many countries experienced a decline in house prices, the global house price index shows that property prices in 2023 were still substantially higher than before COVID-19. Renting vs. buying In the past, house prices have grown faster than rents. However, the home affordability has been declining notably, with a direct impact on rental prices. As people struggle to buy a property of their own, they often turn to rental accommodation. This has resulted in a growing demand for rental apartments and soaring rental prices.

In 2023, South Korea's nominal gross domestic product (GDP) reached approximately ***** trillion South Korean won, while North Korea's amounted to about **** trillion South Korean won. Consequently, South Korea's nominal GDP was approximately ** times larger than that of North Korea during that year. Moreover, North Korea's GDP growth has been notably slower than that of South Korea.North Korea's economic development North Korea's economy is centered around its capital city and military, with particular emphasis on the expansion of its nuclear capabilities in recent decades. Roughly ** percent of foreign trade has been with China in the past decade, from which it imports mainly intermediate goods and raw materials. Food shortages, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, are a recurring issue for North Korea, as poor harvests, international sanctions, and a downturn in inter-Korean trade have created sourcing problems. The full extent of this issue remains unknown, but it is estimated that almost **** the population is undernourished. Kaesong Industrial ComplexThe Kaesong Industrial Complex project began in 2000 and was a crucial part of South Korea's efforts to improve relations with North Korea. It aimed to foster cooperation between the two Koreas and promote stability in the region. The industrial park, located in Kaesong, North Korea, was intended to provide a platform for small and medium-sized South Korean companies. South Korea would provide the necessary capital and infrastructure, while North Korean workers would be tasked with manufacturing products, aiming to stimulate economic growth on both sides of the border. Unfortunately, the complex was affected by tensions between the two Koreas and shut down in 2016. It has not been reopened since.