With the improvement of the comprehensive transportation system and the gradual promotion of industrial upgrading and transformation, the population size of central cities and big cities has also changed.
Generally speaking, cities with a population of more than 5 million belong to cities with large population. According to the data of the seventh national census, the first financial reporter found that in 2020, there are 91 cities with a population exceeding 5 million. Among the 91 cities, 70 cities have increased their population in recent ten years, with a growth rate of 77%. In terms of regional distribution, Shandong has the largest number, with 10, and Henan and Guangdong each have 9.
The population of 91 cities exceeds 5 million.
In 2020, there are 91 cities with a population of over 5 million, of which 18 cities have a permanent population of over 10 million, namely Chongqing, Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Tianjin, Xi ‘an, Suzhou, Zhengzhou, Wuhan, Hangzhou, Linyi, Shijiazhuang, Dongguan, Qingdao, Changsha and Harbin.
Compared with 2010, eight of them are new members of cities with a population of 10 million, namely Wuhan, Shijiazhuang, Qingdao, Hangzhou, Zhengzhou, Xi ‘an, Dongguan and Changsha, and six of them are provincial capitals. In the past decade, driven by the strategy of strengthening the province, the population of several provincial capital cities has gathered rapidly. From the perspective of ten-year increment, the increment of Xi ‘an, Zhengzhou, Hangzhou and Changsha all exceeded 3 million, and the ten-year growth rate was also among the best.
Take Changsha as an example. In the past ten years, the population of Changsha has increased by 3 million, and the total population has exceeded 10 million, reaching 10,047,900, making it the third provincial capital city in central China to exceed 10 million. The other two provincial capital cities with 10 million people are Wuhan and Zhengzhou.
In the central region, while the population of some provincial capitals is growing rapidly, the population of many cities in the province is declining. Take Hunan as an example, except Changsha, the population growth of other cities is slow, or even decreased significantly. The population of Shaoyang, Hengyang, Yiyang, Changde and Yueyang in the province has decreased greatly. Among them, Shaoyang decreased by 508,000 compared with 2010, and Hengyang decreased by 496,000. In addition to the population transfer to developed areas, these cities are accelerating the transfer to provincial capitals in recent years.
Ms Xiao from Shaoyang works in a real estate company in Changsha. She said that after the opening of the high-speed rail, it took only about one hour to get from Shaoyang to Changsha. "The convenience of transportation has also brought about changes in the consumption level, and many people are willing to come to Changsha for development."
According to the data of population size changes in 91 cities in the past ten years, the population of 70 cities has increased in the past ten years, with a growth rate of 77%. In terms of increment, there are 15 cities whose population has increased by more than 2 million people in the past 10 years, all of which are first-and second-tier cities, including 9 provincial capital cities, 2 municipalities directly under the central government, 1 city with separate plans and 3 cities with developed manufacturing industries.
In contrast, among the 91 cities, 10 cities have lost more than 400,000 people, namely Nanchong, Harbin, Yancheng, Nanyang, Shaoyang, Hengyang, Jingzhou, Changde, Yueyang and Yichun. From the perspective of regional distribution, the central region is very dense, accounting for as many as seven.
Why is the population of some ordinary prefecture-level cities in central China decreasing? Julia, a professor at Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, analyzed the First Financial Report. The central region is closer to the Yangtze River Delta, the Pearl River Delta and Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei. In recent years, the construction of high-speed rail network has further shortened the time-space distance. In addition, with the rapid development of several strong provinces in central China in recent years, there are many employment opportunities, and many cities have moved to provincial capitals.
For example, the Wuhan-Guangzhou high-speed railway opened at the end of 2009 has greatly improved the convenience of the two lakes to the Pearl River Delta. A considerable number of college graduates from Wuhan and Changsha have flowed to the Pearl River Delta.
The population of 91 cities exceeds 5 million.
CBN is organized according to local statistical departments and public data.
Shandong has at most 9 in Henan and 9 in Guangdong.
Judging from the distribution of 91 cities, Shandong, the third largest economic province, has the largest number, reaching 10. Shandong’s topography is mainly plain, the county economy is developed, and the urban development is mainly small and medium-sized cities, with a relatively balanced population distribution and a relatively high population density.
In addition to Shandong, there are 9 Henan in the Yellow River basin, ranking second. It is worth noting that the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain, including Shandong, Beijing-Tianjin, most of Henan and Hebei, Anhui and northern Jiangsu, is one of the most densely populated cities in China with a population of more than 5 million.
Niu Fengrui, a researcher at the Urban Development and Environment Research Center of China Academy of Social Sciences, analyzed the First Financial Report, and found that the agricultural production conditions in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain were particularly good, developed earlier in history and had a relatively high population density. In some places, the population per square kilometer exceeds 1,000, and prefecture-level cities have many counties under their jurisdiction, which makes it easier to form a large population city. Even if some cities have large population outflows, the population base is still very large.
One of the characteristics of some cities is that the industry is underdeveloped, and the population gathered in the central city is not large, and a large number of people are distributed in the counties under their jurisdiction. For example, Nanyang has a population of more than 9 million, but there are only two municipal districts, in addition to 10 counties and one county-level city. Zhoukou City has jurisdiction over 2 districts, 7 counties and 1 county-level city.
In addition to the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain, the population density of the Yangtze River Delta, Guangdong and the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River is also relatively high, with large population cities. There are 9 cities in Guangdong with a permanent population of more than 5 million, second only to Shandong and tied for second place with Henan. Among the nine populous cities in Guangdong, five cities are located in the developed areas of the Pearl River Delta, namely Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Dongguan, Foshan and Huizhou. The economically developed Pearl River Delta not only attracts a large number of people from outside the province, but also attracts people from Guangdong, East and West in the province. Outside the Pearl River Delta, there are Shantou and Jieyang in eastern Guangdong and Zhanjiang and Maoming in western Guangdong. Generally speaking, the coastal areas of eastern Guangdong and western Guangdong have more arable land and accommodate more people.
Generally speaking, the plains will gather more people, with a large population and a large city. And some places with few plains, because of the more developed economy, will also attract a large number of people to flow in. For example, the landform of Zhejiang is "seven mountains, two waters and one field", with many mountains and hills and less flat land. However, among the 11 cities in Zhejiang, 7 cities have a population of more than 5 million.
Tang Hairu, deputy director of the Expert Committee of Hangzhou Planning Commission, analyzed CBN, and found that the income gap between urban and rural areas in Zhejiang is small and the regional development is relatively balanced. Zhejiang is dominated by private economy, and many counties have formed their own industrial clusters with strong development momentum.
These populous cities have outstanding labor advantages, especially with the improvement of the comprehensive transportation system to the three economic circles, the advantages of labor-intensive industries are prominent.
The the State Council executive meeting held on July 22 last year deployed to strengthen new urbanization construction, make up for shortcomings, expand domestic demand and improve people’s quality of life; Determine measures to support multi-channel flexible employment and promote the increase of residents’ employment and income. The meeting also pointed out that it is necessary to develop labor-intensive industries and provide opportunities for farmers in cities to work nearby.
The province where the city with a population of 5 million is located
CBN is organized according to local statistical departments and public data.
