Municipality
The administrative unit used by official bulletins
All profiles use city-wide administrative data, but their territories differ greatly in area and rural composition.
City profiles
A city name is not a boundary.
45 major cities show why population, GDP, area and infrastructure cannot be compared without understanding administrative geography.
National administrative-city context
How many cities does China have?
694
4 province-level municipalities + 293 prefecture-level cities + 397 county-level cities
Ministry of Civil Affairs response reported by Changjiang Daily: 694 cities = 4 province-level municipalities + 293 prefecture-level cities + 397 county-level cities. This administrative-city count is not the same as the number of prefecture-level administrative divisions, municipal districts, built-up urban areas or metro regions.
Ministry of Civil Affairs response ↗China in Figures coverage
45
major-city profiles, not the national city count
China in Figures currently maintains traceable official-data profiles for 45 major cities. This is not a complete list of Chinese cities, not a national population/GDP ranking and not a statistically representative sample; omission does not mean that a city is unimportant or does not exist.
45 of 45 cities
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Province-level municipality · 2025
Beijing
China’s capital, with a service-heavy economy and a large digital-economy footprint across a broad municipality.
- GDP
- 5.21T yuan
- Residents
- 21.80M
- Services
- 86.0%
Province-level municipality · 2025
Shanghai
A global financial, trade and transport centre using municipality-wide statistics.
- GDP
- 5.67T yuan
- Residents
- 24.85M
- Port
- 55.06M TEU
Sub-provincial city · 2025
Shenzhen
A dense technology, manufacturing, trade and logistics centre adjoining Hong Kong.
- GDP
- 3.87T yuan
- Residents
- 18.25M
- Area
- 1,997 sq km
Sub-provincial capital · 2025
Guangzhou
Guangdong’s capital and a major commercial, manufacturing, airport and port hub.
- GDP
- 3.20T yuan
- Residents
- 19.10M
- Urbanisation
- 87.6%
Sub-provincial capital · 2025/2024
Hangzhou
Zhejiang’s capital and a major digital-economy, technology, services and tourism centre.
- GDP
- 2.30T yuan
- Residents
- 12.62M
- Area
- 16,850 sq km
Prefecture-level city · 2025
Suzhou
A major manufacturing, export and innovation centre in the Yangtze River Delta.
- GDP
- 2.77T yuan
- Residents
- 13.05M
- Income
- 80,796 yuan
Sub-provincial capital · 2025
Wuhan
A major central-China industrial, scientific, educational and transport hub.
- GDP
- 2.21T yuan
- Residents
- 13.86M
- Urban rail
- 578 km
Sub-provincial capital · 2025
Chengdu
A large western regional centre whose municipality includes dense urban and extensive outer districts.
- GDP
- 2.48T yuan
- Residents
- 21.54M
- Urbanisation
- 81.5%
Province-level municipality · 2025
Chongqing
A vast municipality combining urban cores, satellite cities, counties, mountains and rural territory.
- GDP
- 3.38T yuan
- Residents
- 31.9M
- Area
- 82,400 sq km
Province-level municipality · 2025
Tianjin
A northern coastal municipality combining a major port, manufacturing base and broad urban-rural territory.
- GDP
- 1.85T yuan
- Residents
- 13.63M
- Area
- 11,966 sq km
Sub-provincial capital · 2025/2024
Nanjing
Jiangsu’s capital, with strong higher education, research, advanced manufacturing and service functions.
- GDP
- 1.94T yuan
- Residents
- 9.58M
- Area
- 6,587 sq km
Sub-provincial capital · 2025
Xi'an
A northwest regional centre with major aerospace, electronics, research and cultural-tourism functions.
- GDP
- 1.39T yuan
- Residents
- 13.24M
- Area
- 10,097 sq km
Sub-provincial coastal city · 2025
Qingdao
A northern coastal port city with strong manufacturing, marine-economy, trade and tourism functions.
- GDP
- 1.76T yuan
- Residents
- 10.52M
- Area
- 11,293 sq km
Provincial capital · 2025
Zhengzhou
A central-China rail, aviation, logistics and advanced-manufacturing hub.
- GDP
- 1.52T yuan
- Residents
- 13.14M
- Area
- 7,568 sq km
Sub-provincial capital · 2025
Shenyang
Liaoning’s capital and a major northeast centre for advanced equipment, automotive, aerospace, research and services.
- GDP
- 0.91T yuan
- Residents
- 9.28M
- Area
- 12,881 sq km
Sub-provincial coastal city · 2025
Xiamen
A compact southeast coastal port city with strong trade, electronics, services and tourism functions.
- GDP
- 0.90T yuan
- Residents
- 5.37M
- Area
- 1,699 sq km
Provincial capital · 2025/2024
Hefei
Anhui’s capital and a fast-growing centre for research, electric vehicles, displays, semiconductors and advanced manufacturing.
- GDP
- 1.42T yuan
- Residents
- 10.00M
- Area
- 11,445 sq km
Provincial capital · 2025
Changsha
Hunan’s capital and a major centre for engineering machinery, advanced manufacturing, media, education and consumer services.
- GDP
- 1.57T yuan
- Residents
- 10.72M
- Area
- 11,819 sq km
Regional capital · 2025
Urumqi
Xinjiang’s capital and a major far-western centre for trade, aviation, logistics, energy services and regional administration.
- GDP
- 0.47T yuan
- Residents
- 4.15M
- Area
- 12,941 sq km
Sub-provincial capital · 2025
Harbin
Heilongjiang’s capital and a northeast centre for equipment manufacturing, agricultural services, ice-and-snow tourism and trade with Russia.
- GDP
- 0.62T yuan
- Residents
- 9.89M
- Area
- 53,100 sq km
Provincial capital · 2025
Taiyuan
Shanxi’s capital and a centre for energy-industry transition, heavy manufacturing, materials, services and regional administration.
- GDP
- 0.54T yuan
- Residents
- 5.53M
- Area
- 6,909 sq km
Provincial capital · 2025/2024
Nanchang
Jiangxi’s capital and a centre for aviation manufacturing, electronics, automobiles, services and regional transport.
- GDP
- 0.81T yuan
- Residents
- 6.67M
- Area
- 7,195 sq km
Provincial capital · 2025
Kunming
Yunnan’s capital and a highland gateway for tourism, logistics, aviation and trade with South and Southeast Asia.
- GDP
- 0.86T yuan
- Residents
- 8.74M
- Area
- 21,013 sq km
Regional capital · 2025
Nanning
Guangxi’s capital and a major China–ASEAN gateway for trade, logistics, services and regional administration.
- GDP
- 0.62T yuan
- Residents
- 9.02M
- Area
- 22,099 sq km
Provincial capital · 2025
Shijiazhuang
Hebei’s capital and a major Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei southern gateway for pharmaceuticals, electronics, equipment manufacturing and logistics.
- GDP
- 0.87T yuan
- Residents
- 11.25M
- Area
- 15,800 sq km
Sub-provincial capital · 2025
Changchun
Jilin’s capital and a major northeast centre for automobiles, rail equipment, agricultural processing, optics and higher education.
- GDP
- 0.80T yuan
- Residents
- 9.11M
- Area
- 24,744 sq km
Provincial capital · 2025
Guiyang
Guizhou’s capital and a southwest highland centre for big data, electronic information, phosphates, tourism and regional services.
- GDP
- 0.60T yuan
- Residents
- 6.67M
- Area
- 8,043 sq km
Provincial capital · 2025
Lanzhou
Gansu’s capital and a Yellow River corridor centre for petrochemicals, equipment manufacturing, research, education and northwest transport.
- GDP
- 0.39T yuan
- Residents
- 4.45M
- Area
- 13,100 sq km
Regional capital · 2025
Hohhot
Inner Mongolia’s capital and a regional centre for dairy, energy services, data industries, education and grassland-facing administration.
- GDP
- 0.43T yuan
- Residents
- 3.66M
- Area
- 17,200 sq km
Provincial capital · 2025/2024
Fuzhou
Fujian’s capital and a Taiwan Strait gateway for digital industries, advanced manufacturing, trade, services and maritime transport.
- GDP
- 1.51T yuan
- Residents
- 8.52M
- Area
- 11,969 sq km
Sub-provincial capital · 2025
Jinan
Shandong’s capital and a major Yellow River basin centre for services, advanced manufacturing, software, logistics and research.
- GDP
- 1.42T yuan
- Residents
- 9.62M
- Area
- 10,244 sq km
Provincial capital · 2025/2020
Haikou
Hainan’s capital and the province’s administrative, commercial, aviation, port and free-trade gateway.
- GDP
- 0.26T yuan
- Residents
- 3.06M
- Area
- 2,313 sq km
Regional capital · 2025
Yinchuan
Ningxia’s capital and a Yellow River oasis centre for energy, manufacturing, trade, services and regional administration.
- GDP
- 0.30T yuan
- Residents
- 2.94M
- Area
- 9,025 sq km
Provincial capital · 2025/2026
Xining
Qinghai’s capital and a high-altitude centre for clean energy, materials, services, tourism and plateau transport.
- GDP
- 0.19T yuan
- Residents
- 2.48M
- Area
- 7,660 sq km
Regional capital · 2025/2024
Lhasa
Tibet’s capital and a high-altitude centre for administration, tourism, services, construction and plateau transport.
- GDP
- 0.11T yuan
- Residents
- 0.88M
- Area
- 29,640 sq km
Sub-provincial port city · 2025
Ningbo
A major Zhejiang port, trade and manufacturing centre with one of the world's largest cargo gateways.
- GDP
- 1.87T yuan
- Residents
- 9.83M
- Area
- 9,816 sq km
Sub-provincial port city · 2025/2024
Dalian
A major Northeast China port and industrial city for shipping, equipment manufacturing, petrochemicals, software and tourism.
- GDP
- 1.00T yuan
- Residents
- 7.54M
- Area
- 13,700 sq km
Yangtze Delta manufacturing city · 2025/2023
Wuxi
A high-output Jiangsu manufacturing and innovation centre on Lake Tai, with strengths in electronics, machinery, biomedicine and the Internet of Things.
- GDP
- 1.68T yuan
- Residents
- 7.54M
- Area
- 4,627 sq km
Pearl River Delta manufacturing city · 2025/2023
Foshan
A major Pearl River Delta manufacturing city known for household appliances, machinery, ceramics, metal products and private enterprise.
- GDP
- 1.32T yuan
- Residents
- 9.79M
- Area
- 3,798 sq km
Pearl River Delta export city · 2025/2024
Dongguan
An export-oriented Pearl River Delta manufacturing centre with major electronics, machinery, textiles and advanced-industry clusters.
- GDP
- 1.28T yuan
- Residents
- 10.80M
- Area
- 2,460 sq km
Prefecture-level city · 2025
Quanzhou
Quanzhou is a major private-manufacturing, export and county-industry centre on the southern Fujian coast.
- GDP
- 1.38T yuan
- Residents
- 8.91M
- Services
- 47.5%
Prefecture-level city · 2025
Nantong
Nantong is a Yangtze River Delta port, shipbuilding and manufacturing city on the north bank of the Yangtze estuary.
- GDP
- 1.28T yuan
- Residents
- 7.75M
- Services
- 49.7%
Prefecture-level city · 2025
Changzhou
Changzhou is an advanced-manufacturing and new-energy centre in southern Jiangsu, integrated with the wider Yangtze River Delta economy.
- GDP
- 1.12T yuan
- Residents
- 5.42M
- Services
- 52.2%
Prefecture-level city · 2025
Yantai
Yantai is a Shandong Peninsula port, manufacturing, marine-economy and energy centre facing the Bohai and Yellow seas.
- GDP
- 1.14T yuan
- Residents
- 7.00M
- Services
- 51.4%
Prefecture-level city · 2025
Wenzhou
Wenzhou is a private-economy, county-industry and international-trade centre on the southern Zhejiang coast.
- GDP
- 1.02T yuan
- Residents
- 9.90M
- Services
- 61.7%
Built-up area
The continuously urbanised footprint
Usually smaller than the municipality and not yet available as one uniform official series for every profile.
Metro region
The functional labour and transport market
Can cross administrative boundaries and should not be mixed with municipality totals without a visible scope note.