China: population of major cities 2021 | Statista (2024)

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: population of major cities 2021 | Statista (2024)

FAQs

China: population of major cities 2021 | Statista? ›

Top 10 most populated cities in China are Chongqing, Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu, Tianjin, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Wuhan, Harbin and Suzhou. More details about China population by city are given below.

What are the top 5 populated cities in China? ›

Top 10 most populated cities in China are Chongqing, Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu, Tianjin, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Wuhan, Harbin and Suzhou. More details about China population by city are given below.

What is China's population in cities? ›

China Urban Population 1960-2023
  • China urban population for 2021 was 882,894,483, a 1.86% increase from 2020.
  • China urban population for 2020 was 866,810,508, a 2.1% increase from 2019.
  • China urban population for 2019 was 848,982,855, a 2.32% increase from 2018.

How many major cities does China have? ›

China has 155 cities with more than a million people, 415 cities with between 100,000 and 1 million people, and 1257 cities with between 10,000 and 100,000 people. The largest city in China is Shanghai, with a population of 22,315,474 people.

Which US city has the most Chinese? ›

New York City is home to the largest Chinese-American population of any city proper, with over half a million.

Where is the richest city in China? ›

Beijing – the billionaire capital of China

Once again, Beijing is named among the 10 richest cities around the world, boasting a total of 128,200 resident millionaires, 354 centi-millionaires, and 43 billionaires.

How many megacities does China have? ›

Suzhou), Greater Xi'an, Greater Zhengzhou, Greater Guangzhou, Hefei economic circle (incl. Lu'an, Huainan, Chaohu), Shandong Peninsula, Greater Shenyang, Shenzhen and Wuhan. Up to 2018, there are nine officially approved megalopolises in China.

Which country is bigger China or the United States? ›

However, China leads when it comes to land area compared with the U.S. World Atlas says China is approximately 2% larger than the U.S. in terms of land area.

Where does 90% of China's population live? ›

94% of China's population lives east of the Heihe–Tengchong Line. West of the line: 57% of the area; only 6% of the population. East of the line: 43% of the area; 94% of the population. The line roughly demarcates historic Han China from territories occupied by force.

What percentage of Chinese live in major cities? ›

Urbanization in China 1980-2022. In 2022, approximately 65.2 percent of the total population in China lived in cities.

What cities have the largest Chinese population? ›

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.

What is the cleanest city in China? ›

How polluted is China?
2022 China cleanest cityNgari , Tibet 23
2022 China most polluted cityHotan , Xinjiang 171

What are the mega cities in China? ›

List of megacities
MegacityCountryRegion
DongguanChinaEast Asia
GuangzhouChinaEast Asia
HangzhouChinaEast Asia
46 more rows

Where does the majority of China's population live? ›

About 96.31% of the Chinese population is distributed in the eastern half of the country, and only 3.69% are distributed in the southwest, northwest, and northern frontiers. The highest population density is concentrated in the lower Yellow River and Yangtze River areas.

What cities in China are bigger than New York? ›

Chongqing: 82,402 sq.

It is about 103 times larger than New York, 51 times larger than London and 36 times larger than Tokyo. Actually, Chongqing was not this big until 1929 when Chinese government elevated it to a municipality.

Which city in China has the best economy? ›

With a respective GDP of 4.47 trillion yuan ($660.18 billion), 4.16 trillion yuan and 3.24 trillion yuan, Shanghai, Beijing and Shenzhen claimed the first three positions on the list of top Chinese mainland cities in GDP.

What are the 4 tier one cities in China? ›

Given the sheer number of cities in China, there is not a single version of this classification. According to many media publications, it is understood that there are four tiers, and the consensus is that four cities belong to Tier-1 (Chinese: 一线城市): Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen (colloquially known as “ ...

Where do rich Chinese live in us? ›

The most popular U.S. destination for wealthy Chinese moving to the U.S. is Los Angeles, followed by Seattle, San Francisco and New York.

Where is the best place to live in China as an American? ›

The 11 best places for expats to live in China are Hangzhou, Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Xi'an, Qingdao, Kunming, Tianjin, Nanjing, and Fuzhou.

What percent of Americans are Chinese? ›

Despite the recent declines, Chinese immigrants still represent the third largest origin group among U.S. immigrants (after those from Mexico and India), accounting for 5 percent of the 45.3 million immigrants in the United States as of 2021.

What is the cheapest city to live in China? ›

IN 2019, A COLD, sleepy mining town called Hegang went viral for having the lowest house prices of any big city in China. Blog posts boasted of sizeable apartments costing as little as 46,000 yuan ($6,700).

What is the poorest city in China? ›

Guizhou has the largest poverty population, with 2.95 million. Xinjiang has the highest poverty rate, which is 9.9 per cent. Gansu, Guizhou, Tibet and Yunnan also have a poverty rate above 7 per cent.

What is the largest city in the world? ›

Tokyo is the world's largest city by urban area and metropolitan area.

Why are cities in China so big? ›

Traditionally, China's provinces are divided into prefectures, which are basically the equivalent of a county in the United States, but due to the urbanization boom authority over these administrative divisions began being granted to the largest city (typically) within their realms -- resulting in prefectural-level ...

Is NYC a megacity? ›

With over 20.1 million people in its metropolitan statistical area and 23.5 million in its combined statistical area as of 2020, New York is one of the world's most populous megacities, and over 58 million people live within 250 mi (400 km) of the city.

What is the strongest country in the world? ›

The United States remains the most powerful country in the world, followed by China and Russia. However, the balance of power may shift in the coming years as countries like India and Brazil continue to grow economically and assert themselves on the global stage.

What is the largest country in the world land wise? ›

The largest country in the world is Russia with a total area of 17,098,242 Km² (6,601,665 mi²) and a land area of 16,376,870 Km² (6,323,142 mi²), equivalent to 11% of the total world's landmass of 148,940,000 Km² (57,510,000 square miles).

How big is China's military? ›

People's Liberation Army
Military age18
ConscriptionYes by law, however, it was never enforced since 1949.
Active personnel2,035,000 (2022) (ranked 1st)
Reserve personnel510,000 (2022)
29 more rows

What is the racial makeup of China? ›

As of December 2022, China's population stood at 1.4118 billion. According to the 2020 census, 91.11% of the population was Han Chinese, and 8.89% were minorities. China's population growth rate is only 0.03%, ranking 159th in the world.

Which country has the most Chinese outside China? ›

Thailand has the largest overseas Chinese community and is also the most successful case of assimilation, with many claiming Thai identity. For over 400 years, Thai Chinese have largely intermarried and/or assimilated with their compatriots.

Is China a liveable country? ›

China has also become a more liveable country. It has planted a quarter of the world's new forest in the past decade, while carbon dioxide emissions per unit of gross domestic product have fallen by 34 per cent. Mountains have become greener, rivers and lakes cleaner, and skies bluer.

What percentage of Chicago population is Chinese? ›

The Chicago metropolitan area has an ethnic Chinese population. As of 2010, there are 43,228 Chinese Americans who live in Chicago, 1.6% of the city's population.

What is the most Chinese populated city outside China? ›

Singapore. Although the home to the largest percentage of ethnic Chinese outside of China and Taiwan, Singapore's Chinese culture is a somewhat challenged one.

What state is the most Chinese? ›

The state of Hawaii has the highest concentration of Chinese Americans at 4.0%, or 55,000 people.

What states have large Chinese population? ›

The leading States for Chinese Americans are California, New York, Hawaii, Texas and New Jersey. Together these five States constitute more then 80% of the Chinese American population with 40% being in CA alone. Contact us for demographics on other US States. Contact us for demographics on other US Counties.

Where does China rank among all countries? ›

China is 54th in the overall Prosperity Index rankings.

What is the most densely populated city in China? ›

Most Populous Places in China in 2021

In the first tier, there are the most populous cities like Shanghai and Tianjin with more than 10 million population. After Shanghai, Beijing is the second-largest city with a significant population density. Beijing has a population of more than 18 million as of 2021.

What is America's cleanest city? ›

Honolulu, Hawaii

According to The Healthy Journal, “Honolulu, Hawaii ranks first as the cleanest city in the U.S. Despite being the most fossil fuel-dependent state in the U.S., due to its reliance on tourism and the military, Hawaii is currently working to achieve 100% clean energy by 2045.”

What city in China has the most crime? ›

Most Dangerous Cities in China
  • Chongqing. Chongqing into a very vibrant trading center early in its history. ...
  • Wuhan. As a city that is known for its cultural offerings and its history, many people avoid the city for its connection with the COVID-19 pandemic. ...
  • Beijing. ...
  • Shanghai. ...
  • Guangzhou. ...
  • Yarkant County. ...
  • Shenzhen.

What is the empty city in China? ›

Ordos Kangbashi is often seen as one of the first and most prominent examples of the international Chinese ghost city phenomenon and fascination. Some journalists have pointed to the Ordos Kangbashi ghost city stories as an example of media hastily and often misinformed reporting of developments in China.

Why is Shanghai so populated? ›

Originally a fishing village and market town, Shanghai grew in importance in the 19th century due to both domestic and foreign trade and its favorable port location.

What is the most widely spoken language in China? ›

Mandarin Chinese alone is the most widely spoken native language in the world: nearly a billion within China alone and 1.2 billion worldwide—a few hundred million people more than the next most widespread languages, Spanish and English.

What are 4 important cities in China? ›

The Top 7 Most Famous Cities in China
  • Beijing (Peking) The Great Wall. Everyone knows the capital of China is Beijing, though some may still call it Peking. ...
  • Shanghai. Shanghai. ...
  • Hong Kong. Hong Kong. ...
  • Canton (Guangzhou) Guangzhou Tower. ...
  • Taipei (Taibei) Taipei. ...
  • Macau. Ruins of St. ...
  • Lhasa. The Potala Palace.
Jan 6, 2023

Why is China population so high? ›

Overpopulation in China began after World War II in 1949, when Chinese families were encouraged to have as many children as possible in hopes of bringing more money to the country, building a better army, and producing more food.

What is the most densely populated country in the world? ›

Global Population Density Outline

With a population density of 21,054 per square kilometer, Macao in China was the most densely populated country in the world in 2021. Monaco ranks second in population density, with 19,493 people per square kilometer.

What are the big 4 cities in China? ›

The four direct municipalities, Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, and Tianjin are also considered cities even though they are officially provincial-level administrative units. It is for these reasons that Yicai Global's published list includes 338 "cities": namely all of the 334 prefectural-level units plus the 4 direct ...

Where do most Chinese live in China? ›

About 96.31% of the Chinese population is distributed in the eastern half of the country, and only 3.69% are distributed in the southwest, northwest, and northern frontiers. The highest population density is concentrated in the lower Yellow River and Yangtze River areas.

Where do Chinese millionaires live? ›

Shenzhen is nicknamed the Silicon Valley of China.

Where do most billionaires live in China? ›

Shanghai. Widely regarded as the financial capital of China, Shanghai is home to 127,200 millionaires, 332 centi-millionaires, and 40 billionaires. The Shanghai Stock Exchange is the third-largest stock market in the world by market cap (after the NYSE and the Nasdaq).

What is the most advanced city in China? ›

Due to the city being a leading global technology hub, Shenzhen is sometimes called China's Silicon Valley in the media. The city's entrepreneurial, innovative, and competitive-based culture has resulted in the city being home to numerous small-time manufacturers or software companies.

What is the main income source of China? ›

The major sectors and industries driving growth for China include the services sector, agriculture, manufacturing, and technology. China is also one of the world's largest exporters and importers in the world.

What is China's largest ethnic group? ›

Han: With a population of about 1.159 billion, it forms the main body of the Chinese nation. The Han people inhabit most regions in China, but mainly live in the Yellow, Yangtze and Pearl river valleys.

How many US citizens live in China? ›

An estimate published in 2018 counted 600,000 people of other nations living in China, with 12% of those from the US; that means approximately 72,000 Americans living in China.

Can Americans retire in China? ›

China does not have a visa specifically for retirees. However, there are several avenues to long-term residency for people who want to retire in China. The most common option for retirees is to get a permanent resident visa.

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