Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in China
China: Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents was 280.94 million people in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in China, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in China is 280.94 million people, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
That represents a change of up 22.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in China peaked at 280.94 million people in 2020 and was at its lowest, 11.95 million people, in 1950.
China ranks 1st of 182 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 16.51 million people | 11.95 million people | 21.07 million people | 2 |
| 1960s | 30.01 million people | 27.24 million people | 32.77 million people | 2 |
| 1970s | 39.41 million people | 37.18 million people | 41.65 million people | 2 |
| 1980s | 63.77 million people | 55.38 million people | 72.15 million people | 2 |
| 1990s | 107.98 million people | 91.53 million people | 124.42 million people | 2 |
| 2000s | 192.05 million people | 176.39 million people | 207.72 million people | 2 |
| 2010s | 242.85 million people | 229.21 million people | 256.48 million people | 2 |
| 2020s | 280.94 million people | 280.94 million people | 280.94 million people | 1 |
Countries ranked near China
More reference data data for China
- Spring temperature anomalies 1.66 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.0991 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 1.15 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 0 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 1.34 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 2.06 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 132.6 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 0 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in China?
- Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in China was 280.94 million people in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 280.94 million people in 2020.
- What is the lowest number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.95 million people in 1950.
- How does China rank for number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents?
- China ranks 1st out of 182 countries with data for 2020.
- Is number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 22.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total population living in cities with 1 million or more people. City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.