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See China’s Population Density Visualized Using a 3D Map

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See China’s Population Density Visualized Using a 3D Map

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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? We go into further detail below.

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.

The post See China’s Population Density Visualized Using a 3D Map appeared first on Visual Capitalist.

Source
China