105 Cities in East China Account for 94% of Total Population

[ABS News Service/04.07.2024]

For seven decades, China’s population was the world’s largest until India took that particular crown in 2023.

Still, 1.4 billion people live in the country that stretches across 3.7 million square miles (9.6 million km²). However, as seen in the map above, 94% of the Chinese population lives east of the Heihe-Tengchong line, which is only 43% of the country’s area.

What does this mean for China’s population density patterns?

Ranked: China’s Largest Cities

A quick look at a geographical map of China reveals two major rivers flowing from west to east, eventually draining into the Yellow and East China seas. This leads to vast tracts of arable land. Food surplus then results in rapid population growth and urbanization.

Here are all of China’s cities with at least one million residents, from the 2020 census. Clearly noticeable are the provinces they are found in—on the eastern edge of the country, matching the population spikes seen above.

Rank	City	Population	Province
1	Shanghai	24,890,000	Direct-administered Municipality
2	Beijing	21,893,095	Direct-administered Municipality
3	Guangzhou	18,810,600	Guangdong
4	Chengdu	16,935,567	Sichuan
5	Chongqing	16,875,000	Direct-administered Municipality
6	Shenzhen	14,678,000	Guangdong
7	Tianjin	13,866,009	Direct-administered Municipality
8	Wuhan	12,326,500	Hubei
9	Xi'an	11,904,805	Shaanxi
10	Hangzhou	10,711,238	Zhejiang
11	Dongguan	10,466,625	Guangdong
12	Foshan	9,498,863	Guangdong
13	Nanjing	9,314,685	Jiangsu
14	Jinan	8,352,574	Shandong
15	Shenyang	7,885,142	Liaoning
16	Qingdao	7,172,451	Shandong
17	Harbin	6,976,136	Heilongjiang
18	Zhengzhou	6,650,532	Henan
19	Changsha	5,980,707	Hunan
20	Kunming	5,950,578	Yunnan
21	Dalian	5,736,383	Liaoning
22	Changchun	5,691,024	Jilin
23	Xiamen	5,163,970	Fujian
24	Ningbo	5,057,140	Zhejiang
25	Taiyuan	4,529,141	Shanxi
26	Zhongshan	4,418,060	Guangdong
27	Ürümqi	4,335,017	Xinjiang
28	Suzhou	4,330,000	Jiangsu
29	Shantou	4,312,192	Guangdong
30	Hefei	4,216,940	Anhui
31	Shijiazhuang	4,098,243	Hebei
32	Fuzhou	4,094,491	Fujian
33	Nanning	3,839,800	Guangxi
34	Wenzhou	3,604,446	Zhejiang
35	Changzhou	3,601,079	Jiangsu
36	Nanchang	3,576,547	Jiangxi
37	Guiyang	3,483,100	Guizhou
38	Tangshan	3,399,231	Hebei
39	Wuxi	3,256,000	Jiangsu
40	Lanzhou	3,072,100	Gansu
41	Handan	2,845,790	Hebei
42	Hohhot	2,681,758	Inner Mongolia
43	Weifang	2,659,938	Shandong
44	Jiangmen	2,657,662	Guangdong
45	Zibo	2,640,000	Shandong
46	Huai'an	2,632,788	Jiangsu
47	Xuzhou	2,623,066	Jiangsu
48	Maoming	2,539,148	Guangdong
49	Shaoxing	2,521,964	Zhejiang
50	Yantai	2,511,053	Shandong
51	Huizhou	2,509,243	Guangdong
52	Zhuhai	2,439,585	Guangdong
53	Luoyang	2,372,571	Henan
54	Linyi	2,303,648	Shandong
55	Nantong	2,273,326	Jiangsu
56	Haikou	2,250,000	Hainan
57	Baotou	2,181,077	Inner Mongolia
58	Liuzhou	2,153,419	Guangxi
59	Datong	2,030,203	Shanxi
60	Putian	2,003,000	Fujian
61	Lianyungang	2,001,009	Jiangsu
62	Baoding	1,976,000	Hebei
63	Xining	1,954,795	Qinghai
64	Zhanjiang	1,931,455	Guangdong
65	Wuhu	1,870,000	Anhui
66	Chaozhou	1,750,945	Guangdong
67	Qingyuan	1,738,424	Guangdong
68	Tai'an	1,735,425	Taiwan
69	Yichang	1,698,800	Hubei
70	Yangzhou	1,665,000	Jiangsu
71	Yinchuan	1,662,968	Ningxia
72	Xiangyang	1,658,000	Hubei
73	Anshan	1,647,000	Liaoning
74	Jilin City	1,623,000	Jilin
75	Yancheng	1,615,717	Jiangsu
76	Taizhou	1,607,108	Jiangsu
77	Qinhuangdao	1,586,000	Hebei
78	Ganzhou	1,585,000	Jiangxi
79	Daqing	1,574,389	Heilongjiang
80	Guilin	1,572,300	Guangxi
81	Huizhou	1,558,826	Guangdong
82	Zhaoqing	1,553,109	Guangdong
83	Jiaxing	1,518,654	Zhejiang
84	Jining	1,518,000	Shandong
85	Jinhua	1,463,990	Zhejiang
86	Changde	1,457,519	Hunan
87	Hengyang	1,453,000	Hunan
88	Suqian	1,440,000	Jiangsu
89	Baoji	1,437,802	Shaanxi
90	Zhangjiakou	1,435,000	Hebei
91	Mianyang	1,355,331	Sichuan
92	Qiqihar	1,350,434	Heilongjiang
93	Heze	1,346,717	Shandong
94	Fushun	1,307,200	Liaoning
95	Yangjiang	1,292,987	Guangdong
96	Liaocheng	1,229,768	Shandong
97	Tianshui	1,212,791	Gansu
98	Benxi	1,176,490	Liaoning
99	Chifeng	1,175,391	Inner Mongolia
100	Jiujiang	1,164,268	Jiangxi
101	Anyang	1,146,839	Henan
102	Huaibei	1,142,000	Anhui
103	Yulin	1,117,800	Guangxi
104	Xinjiang	1,047,088	Henan
105	Shaoguan	1,028,460	Guangdong

Source: Citypopulation.de

Also visible on the map is the North China Plain, a continuous blanket of density stretching from Beijing down towards Shanghai. This area is one of China’s most important agricultural regions.

Finally, China’s most populous cities are also the densest but numbers can vary a great deal depending on which city boundary is considered. For example, Beijing’s administrative area is more than twice that of Shanghai and includes many rural districts. As a result, Beijing’s population density figures can vary between 1,300–13,000 people per km².

In contrast, the western part of the country, encompassing the Gobi Desert, Kunlun Mountains, and Tibetan Plateau, is largely inhospitable. Nevertheless, 6% of China’s population still resides in this region, which equates to 84 million people. This means that this half of the country is as populous as Germany.