The largest cities in China, 1975 to 2050
Shanghai, Guangzhou, Beijing and Shenzhen: four decades of the fastest urban growth in history.
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What the data shows
- In 2025, Shanghai ranks #1 with 29.6M, ahead of Guangzhou (27.6M) and Beijing (17.0M).
- By 2050, on the UN's projections, Shanghai is projected to rank #1 with 34.9M, ahead of Guangzhou (29.2M) and Beijing (18.0M).
- Back in 1975, Beijing was #1 with 5.2M.
- The top spot changed hands 3 times: Shanghai in 1985, Guangzhou in 2000 and Shanghai in 2020.
- Biggest climber: Shenzhen, from #9 in 1975 to #4 in 2050.
- Shanghai grew 6.6× between 1975 and 2025.
About this chart
China moved hundreds of millions of people from the countryside into cities after reform began in 1978. Shenzhen is the extreme case: a border town in 1975 that became one of the country's biggest cities.
The Guangzhou figure covers the continuous built-up area of the Pearl River Delta core under the UN's Degree of Urbanization method. Years after 2025 are UN projections.
The data
Source: UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects: The 2025 Revision (File 19), largest Chinese cities, millions, 1975–2050 (projected after 2025). Retrieved November 3, 2026. Cities as defined by the Degree of Urbanization (contiguous dense areas), so figures differ from city-proper or metro counts.
| Date | 🇨🇳 Shanghai | 🇨🇳 Guangzhou | 🇨🇳 Beijing | 🇨🇳 Shenzhen | 🇨🇳 Hangzhou | 🇨🇳 Tianjin | 🇨🇳 Suzhou | 🇨🇳 Chaozhou | 🇨🇳 Nanjing | 🇨🇳 Wuhan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 4.5M | 1.6M | 5.2M | 0.5M | 1.1M | 2.6M | 0.9M | 0.5M | 1.6M | 1.7M |
| 1980 | 4.9M | 2.1M | 5.6M | 0.7M | 1.2M | 2.6M | 1.0M | 0.7M | 1.7M | 2.0M |
| 1985 | 6.3M | 2.7M | 6.0M | 0.8M | 1.6M | 2.8M | 1.3M | 1.3M | 2.1M | 2.3M |
| 1990 | 7.8M | 4.1M | 6.6M | 1.4M | 2.2M | 3.0M | 1.8M | 1.9M | 2.8M | 2.7M |
| 1995 | 10.6M | 9.1M | 8.0M | 3.4M | 3.4M | 3.6M | 2.7M | 2.8M | 3.3M | 4.0M |
| 2000 | 14.0M | 19.0M | 9.6M | 8.2M | 5.0M | 4.3M | 3.7M | 4.2M | 3.9M | 5.6M |
| 2005 | 17.1M | 22.3M | 11.7M | 10.0M | 5.8M | 5.0M | 4.3M | 4.7M | 4.5M | 6.2M |
| 2010 | 20.5M | 24.2M | 14.3M | 11.7M | 6.7M | 5.7M | 4.9M | 5.0M | 5.2M | 6.7M |
| 2015 | 23.8M | 25.3M | 15.4M | 12.5M | 6.9M | 6.8M | 6.1M | 5.6M | 5.9M | 7.1M |
| 2020 | 27.7M | 26.5M | 16.5M | 13.4M | 6.9M | 7.0M | 7.6M | 6.2M | 6.8M | 7.6M |
| 2025 | 29.6M | 27.6M | 17.0M | 13.9M | 7.5M | 7.3M | 7.7M | 6.4M | 6.8M | 7.4M |
| 2030 | 31.3M | 28.4M | 17.6M | 14.3M | 8.1M | 7.5M | 7.8M | 6.6M | 6.8M | 7.1M |
| 2035 | 32.6M | 28.9M | 17.9M | 14.5M | 8.6M | 7.5M | 7.8M | 6.7M | 6.7M | 6.9M |
| 2040 | 33.8M | 29.3M | 18.1M | 14.7M | 9.1M | 7.6M | 7.8M | 6.8M | 6.6M | 6.7M |
| 2045 | 34.4M | 29.3M | 18.1M | 14.7M | 9.3M | 7.7M | 7.8M | 6.9M | 6.5M | 6.5M |
| 2050 | 34.9M | 29.2M | 18.0M | 14.7M | 9.6M | 7.6M | 7.6M | 6.8M | 6.3M | 6.2M |
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Frequently asked questions
What is the largest city in China?
In 2025, Shanghai ranks #1 with 29.6M, followed by Guangzhou (27.6M) and Beijing (17.0M). Source: UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects: The 2025 Revision (File 19), largest Chinese cities, millions, 1975–2050 (projected after 2025).
Where does this data come from?
UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects: The 2025 Revision (File 19), largest Chinese cities, millions, 1975–2050 (projected after 2025). Retrieved November 3, 2026. Cities as defined by the Degree of Urbanization (contiguous dense areas), so figures differ from city-proper or metro counts. You can download the full table as a CSV from this page.
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