City boundaries are not what they seem
Chinese prefecture-level cities often contain a dense urban core, suburbs, farmland and sometimes mountains or deserts. The population of the whole administrative city can be several times larger than the population of the built-up urban area. This is why a city may look enormous in one ranking and much smaller in another.
When you compare cities, check whether the figure covers the entire prefecture or only the urban districts. Our city pages use the population recorded for the administrative unit, and the district pages let you look inside it.
The usual leaders
Chongqing, Shanghai, Beijing and Chengdu are frequently at the top of city population tables. Chongqing is a municipality with a very large rural hinterland, while Shanghai and Beijing are densely built-up municipalities. Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Tianjin, Wuhan and Xi'an are also consistently among the largest.
Rankings can shift depending on whether municipalities are counted as cities, which year is used, and whether hukou or resident population is shown. Our rankings state the indicator and reference year for every row.
Density tells a different story
A city with a large population but also a large land area may have a modest density. Shenzhen and Shanghai, with tight boundaries and high-rise development, usually record much higher densities than sprawling prefectures in the west.
Density is calculated here as resident population divided by land area. It is a useful complement to the population total, especially when you are interested in infrastructure, housing or transport.
Frequently asked questions
Is Chongqing the largest city in China?
Chongqing municipality has the largest population of any city-level administrative unit, but much of its territory is rural. Comparisons with built-up cities such as Shanghai require care.
Should I use resident or hukou population?
Use resident population for how many people actually live in a place, and hukou population for registration and public-service entitlement analysis.