Cities in China Ranked by Population (city proper)
Population of the city proper (the municipality itself, not the metro area), using the most recent figure recorded in Wikidata. Source: Wikidata (CC0 1.0 (public domain)).
Summary
Chongqing ranks #1 with 32.05 million people (2020). Shanghai is second with 24.87 million people, 28.9% behind. The top five are Chongqing, Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu and Guangzhou. The median across all 338 is 3.07 million people; Golmud is last at 221,863 people.
- #1
- Chongqing · 32.05 million people
- Median
- 3.07 million people
- Coverage
- 338 cities in China
- Data year
- As recorded in Wikidata
- Last updated
- 2026-11-14
Full ranking
| Rank | City | Country | Population (people) | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chongqing | China | 32,054,159 | 2020 |
| 2 | Shanghai | China | 24,870,895 | 2020 |
| 3 | Beijing | China | 21,893,095 | 2020 |
| 4 | Chengdu | China | 20,937,757 | 2020 |
| 5 | Guangzhou | China | 18,676,605 | 2020 |
| 6 | Shenzhen | China | 17,494,398 | 2020 |
| 7 | Tianjin | China | 13,866,009 | 2020 |
| 8 | Xi'an | China | 12,952,907 | 2020 |
| 9 | Suzhou | China | 12,748,262 | 2020 |
| 10 | Zhengzhou | China | 12,600,574 | 2020 |
| 11 | Wuhan | China | 12,326,518 | 2020 |
| 12 | Hangzhou | China | 11,936,010 | 2020 |
| 13 | Baoding | China | 11,544,036 | 2020 |
| 14 | Linyi | China | 11,018,365 | 2020 |
| 15 | Shijiazhuang | China | 10,640,458 | 2020 |
| 16 | Dongguan | China | 10,466,625 | 2020 |
| 17 | Qingdao | China | 10,071,722 | 2020 |
| 18 | Changsha | China | 10,047,914 | 2020 |
| 19 | Harbin | China | 10,009,854 | 2020 |
| 20 | Nanyang | China | 9,713,112 | 2020 |
| 21 | Wenzhou | China | 9,572,903 | 2020 |
| 22 | Foshan | China | 9,498,863 | 2020 |
| 23 | Handan | China | 9,413,990 | 2020 |
| 24 | Ningbo | China | 9,404,283 | 2020 |
| 25 | Weifang | China | 9,386,705 | 2020 |
| 26 | Hefei | China | 9,369,881 | 2020 |
| 27 | Nanjing | China | 9,314,685 | 2020 |
| 28 | Jinan | China | 9,202,432 | 2020 |
| 29 | Xuzhou | China | 9,083,790 | 2020 |
| 30 | Shenyang | China | 9,070,093 | 2020 |
| 31 | Changchun | China | 9,066,906 | 2020 |
| 32 | Zhoukou | China | 9,026,015 | 2020 |
| 33 | Ganzhou | China | 8,970,014 | 2020 |
| 34 | Heze | China | 8,795,939 | 2020 |
| 35 | Quanzhou | China | 8,782,285 | 2020 |
| 36 | Nanning | China | 8,741,584 | 2020 |
| 37 | Kunming | China | 8,460,088 | 2020 |
| 38 | Jining | China | 8,357,897 | 2020 |
| 39 | Fuzhou | China | 8,291,268 | 2020 |
| 40 | Fuyang | China | 8,200,264 | 2020 |
| 41 | Shangqiu | China | 7,816,831 | 2020 |
| 42 | Nantong | China | 7,726,635 | 2020 |
| 43 | Tangshan | China | 7,717,983 | 2020 |
| 44 | Wuxi | China | 7,462,135 | 2020 |
| 45 | Dalian | China | 7,450,785 | 2020 |
| 46 | Hong Kong | China | 7,413,070 | 2021 |
| 47 | Cangzhou | China | 7,300,783 | 2020 |
| 48 | Xingtai | China | 7,111,106 | 2020 |
| 49 | Yantai | China | 7,102,116 | 2020 |
| 50 | Luoyang | China | 7,056,699 | 2020 |
| 51 | Jinhua | China | 7,050,683 | 2020 |
| 52 | Zhumadian | China | 7,008,427 | 2020 |
| 53 | Zhanjiang | China | 6,981,236 | 2020 |
| 54 | Bijie | China | 6,899,636 | 2020 |
| 55 | Yancheng | China | 6,709,629 | 2020 |
| 56 | Hengyang | China | 6,645,243 | 2020 |
| 57 | Taizhou | China | 6,622,888 | 2020 |
| 58 | Zunyi | China | 6,606,675 | 2020 |
| 59 | Shaoyang | China | 6,563,520 | 2020 |
| 60 | Shangrao | China | 6,491,088 | 2020 |
| 61 | Nanchang | China | 6,255,007 | 2020 |
| 62 | Xinxiang | China | 6,251,929 | 2020 |
| 63 | Xinyang | China | 6,234,401 | 2020 |
| 64 | Maoming | China | 6,174,050 | 2020 |
| 65 | Huizhou | China | 6,042,852 | 2020 |
| 66 | Guiyang | China | 5,987,018 | 2020 |
| 67 | Liaocheng | China | 5,952,128 | 2020 |
| 68 | Huanggang | China | 5,882,719 | 2020 |
| 69 | Yulin | China | 5,796,766 | 2020 |
| 70 | Qujing | China | 5,765,775 | 2020 |
| 71 | Pudong | China | 5,681,512 | 2020 |
| 72 | Dezhou | China | 5,611,194 | 2020 |
| 73 | Nanchong | China | 5,607,565 | 2020 |
| 74 | Jieyang | China | 5,577,814 | 2020 |
| 75 | Shantou | China | 5,502,031 | 2020 |
| 76 | Anyang | China | 5,477,614 | 2020 |
| 77 | Tai'an | China | 5,472,217 | 2020 |
| 78 | Langfang | China | 5,464,087 | 2020 |
| 79 | Jiaxing | China | 5,400,868 | 2020 |
| 80 | Dazhou | China | 5,385,422 | 2020 |
| 81 | Suzhou | China | 5,324,476 | 2020 |
| 82 | Taiyuan | China | 5,304,061 | 2020 |
| 83 | Yongzhou | China | 5,289,824 | 2020 |
| 84 | Changde | China | 5,279,102 | 2020 |
| 85 | Changzhou | China | 5,278,121 | 2020 |
| 86 | Shaoxing | China | 5,270,977 | 2020 |
| 87 | Xiangyang | China | 5,260,951 | 2020 |
| 88 | Jingzhou | China | 5,231,180 | 2020 |
| 89 | Xiamen | China | 5,163,970 | 2020 |
| 90 | Zhaotong | China | 5,092,611 | 2020 |
| 91 | Zhangzhou | China | 5,054,328 | 2020 |
| 92 | Yueyang | China | 5,051,922 | 2020 |
| 93 | Yichun | China | 5,007,702 | 2020 |
| 94 | Bozhou | China | 4,996,844 | 2020 |
| 95 | Pingdingshan | China | 4,987,137 | 2020 |
| 96 | Suqian | China | 4,986,192 | 2020 |
| 97 | Guilin | China | 4,931,137 | 2020 |
| 98 | Mianyang | China | 4,868,243 | 2020 |
| 99 | Kaifeng | China | 4,824,016 | 2020 |
| 100 | Jiangmen | China | 4,798,090 | 2020 |
Showing the top 100 of 338. Premium downloads the full list as CSV or JSON.
About the top 10
#1 Chongqing
Chongqing ranks #1 on this list with 32.05 million people (2020).
- Country
- China
- Population
- 32,054,159 people (2020)
- Area
- 82,403 km²
- Density
- 389 people per km²
- Elevation
- 237 m
- Founded
- 1929
- Coordinates
- 29.55° N, 106.51° E
Also ranks #1 in population · #6 in area · #174 in elevation.
#2 Shanghai
Shanghai ranks #2 on this list with 24.87 million people (2020).
- Country
- China
- Population
- 24,870,895 people (2020)
- Area
- 6,341 km²
- Density
- 3,922 people per km²
- Elevation
- 4 m
- Founded
- 1292
- Coordinates
- 31.23° N, 121.47° E
Also ranks #3 in population · #28 in elevation · #50 in founded.
#3 Beijing
Beijing ranks #3 on this list with 21.89 million people (2020).
- Country
- China
- Population
- 21,893,095 people (2020)
- Area
- 16,411 km²
- Density
- 1,334 people per km²
- Elevation
- 43 m
- Coordinates
- 39.90° N, 116.41° E
Also ranks #5 in population · #94 in area · #104 in latitude.
#4 Chengdu
Chengdu ranks #4 on this list with 20.94 million people (2020).
- Country
- China
- Population
- 20,937,757 people (2020)
- Area
- 14,378 km²
- Density
- 1,456 people per km²
- Elevation
- 500 m
- Founded
- 310 BCE
- Coordinates
- 30.66° N, 104.06° E
Also ranks #6 in population · #17 in founded · #112 in area.
#5 Guangzhou
Guangzhou ranks #5 on this list with 18.68 million people (2020).
- Country
- China
- Population
- 18,676,605 people (2020)
- Area
- 7,249 km²
- Density
- 2,576 people per km²
- Elevation
- 21 m
- Coordinates
- 23.13° N, 113.26° E
Also ranks #8 in population · #123 in elevation · #231 in area.
#6 Shenzhen
Shenzhen ranks #6 on this list with 17.49 million people (2020).
- Country
- China
- Population
- 17,494,398 people (2020)
- Area
- 1,997 km²
- Density
- 8,759 people per km²
- Elevation
- 0 m
- Founded
- 1979
- Coordinates
- 22.55° N, 114.05° E
Also ranks #4 in elevation · #9 in population · #90 in population density.
#7 Tianjin
Tianjin ranks #7 on this list with 13.87 million people (2020).
- Country
- China
- Population
- 13,866,009 people (2020)
- Area
- 11,920 km²
- Density
- 1,163 people per km²
- Elevation
- 5 m
- Coordinates
- 39.15° N, 117.21° E
Also ranks #20 in population · #39 in elevation · #111 in latitude.
#8 Xi'an
Xi'an ranks #8 on this list with 12.95 million people (2020).
- Country
- China
- Population
- 12,952,907 people (2020)
- Area
- 10,097 km²
- Density
- 1,283 people per km²
- Elevation
- 405 m
- Coordinates
- 34.26° N, 108.94° E
Also ranks #22 in population · #136 in elevation · #185 in area.
#9 Suzhou
Suzhou ranks #9 on this list with 12.75 million people (2020).
- Country
- China
- Population
- 12,748,262 people (2020)
- Area
- 8,657 km²
- Density
- 1,473 people per km²
- Elevation
- 5 m
- Coordinates
- 31.30° N, 120.62° E
Also ranks #23 in population · #38 in elevation · #207 in area.
#10 Zhengzhou
Zhengzhou ranks #10 on this list with 12.6 million people (2020).
- Country
- China
- Population
- 12,600,574 people (2020)
- Area
- 7,567 km²
- Density
- 1,665 people per km²
- Coordinates
- 34.75° N, 113.66° E
Also ranks #24 in population · #207 in latitude · #227 in area.
Profile facts: Wikidata (CC0).
Source and method
Population of the city proper (the municipality itself, not the metro area), using the most recent figure recorded in Wikidata.
Source: Wikidata. Licence: CC0 1.0 (public domain). Retrieved: 2026-11-14.
Data: Wikidata (CC0)
Values are shown as published. Provider terms: Wikidata. All licences: Sources & licences.