List of Cities in The People's Republic of China By Population

This list ranks cities in the People's Republic of China, including Hong Kong and Macau, by population. According to the administrative divisions of the People's Republic of China, there are three levels of cities, namely municipalities, prefecture-level cities (地级市), and county-level cities. There are over 160 cities in China with a population over one million.

Municipalities and prefecture-level cities are not each a "city" in the strictest sense of the term, but instead an administrative unit comprising, typically, both an urban core (a city in the strict sense) and surrounding rural or less-urbanized areas usually many times the size of the central, built-up core. Prefecture-level cities nearly always contain multiple counties, county-level cities, and other such sub-divisions. To distinguish a prefecture-level city from its actual urban area (city in the strict sense), the term 市区 shìqū "urban area" is used. However, even this term often encompasses large suburban regions often greater than 1,000 square miles (3,000 km2), sometimes only the urban core whereas the agglomeration overtake the city limits. Thus, the "urban core" would be roughly comparable to the US term "city limit", the "shìqū or urban area" would be roughly comparable to "metropolitan area", and the municipality is a political designation defining regions under control of a municipal government, having no comparable division.

The cities are listed by built up area adjusted to Local Government Authorities encompassed by built up area (ie Districts, Cities or Counties). Thus, these built up area can be made of several cities (ie : Guangzhou - Dongguan - Shenzhen, Shanghai - Suzhou, Shenyang - Fushun, Anshan - Liaoyang etc.) The population of the official Chinese urban area is listed beside. The larger municipality figure is the wider administrative area population, which includes suburban and rural areas as of the 2010 census.

The list contains all cities with the administrative designation "sub-provincial city" (副省级城市), and many are "Prefecture level cities" and "Provincial capitals" (省会). "Special Economic Zones" (经济特区城市) and "National Central Cities" (国家中心城市) are also listed.

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
City
2010 census		 Chinese Built up Area Urban Area Level Administrative Area Region Remarks
Guangzhou 广州 41,230,000 11,070,654 Sub-provincial city
Provincial capital
National central city		 12,700,800 South Central Incl. Shenzhen, Dongguan and part of Foshan, Jiangmen, Zhongshan and Huizhou
Shanghai 上海 25,607,016 22,315,426 Municipality
National central city		 23,019,148 East
Beijing 北京 19,980,328 18,827,000 Municipality
National central city		 19,612,368 North Incl. Zhuozhou and Sanhe cities; Dachang Hui Autonomous County in Hebei.
Shantou 汕头 11,630,447 1,346,708 Prefectural city
Special Economic Zones		 5,391,028 South Central Incl. most districts of Jieyang and Chaozhou
Shenzhen 深圳 0 !Guangzhou 10,357,938 Sub-provincial city
Special Economic Zones		 10,357,938 South Central
Tianjin 天津 10,290,987 11,090,314 Municipality
National central city		 12,937,954 North
Dongguan 东莞 0 !Guangzhou 8,220,937 Prefectural city 8,220,937 South Central
Hangzhou 杭州 7,321,141 5,695,313 Sub-provincial city
Provincial capital		 8,700,400 East Incl. part of Shaoxing
Hong Kong 香港 7,055,071 7,055,071 Special administrative region
National central city		 7,055,071 South Central Not included in Guangzhou - Shenzhen built up area
Wuhan 武汉 6,886,253 6,434,373 Sub-provincial city
Provincial capital		 9,785,392 South Central
Nanjing 南京 6,852,984 6,852,984 Sub-provincial city
Provincial capital		 8,004,680 East
Shenyang 沈阳 6,756,379 5,743,718 Sub-provincial city
Provincial capital		 8,106,171 Northeast Incl urban part of Fushun
Chengdu 成都 6,730,749 7,123,697 Sub-provincial city
Provincial capital		 14,047,625 Southwest
Xi'an 西安 6,613,138 3,890,098 Sub-provincial city
Provincial capital		 8,467,837 Northwest Incl. part of Xianyang
Quanzhou 泉州 6,070,717 1,398,427 Prefectural city 8,128,530 East
Harbin 哈尔滨 5,878,939 5,282,083 Sub-provincial city
Provincial capital		 10,635,971 Northeast
Wenzhou 温州 5,173,324 2,312,066 Prefectural city 9,122,100 East
Xiamen 厦门 4,984,482 1,861,289 Sub-provincial city
Special Economic Zones		 3,531,147 East Incl. part of Zhangzhou
Chongqing 重庆 4,802,511 5,402,721 Municipality
National central city		 28,846,170 Southwest
Qingdao 青岛 4,345,884 3,063,492 Sub-provincial city 8,715,100 East
Suzhou 苏州 0 !Shanghai 5,349,000 Prefectural city 10,465,994 East
Changsha 长沙 4,073,645 3,093,980 Prefectural city
Provincial capital		 7,044,118 South Central
Zhengzhou 郑州 3,980,250 3,132,000 Prefectural city
Provincial capital		 8,626,505 South Central
Jinan 济南 3,922,180 3,922,180 Sub-provincial city
Provincial capital		 6,814,000 East
Shijiazhuang 石家庄 3,833,606 2,604,930 Prefectural city
Provincial capital		 10,163,788 North
Taiyuan 太原 3,775,360 3,212,500 Prefectural city
Provincial capital		 4,201,591 North Incl. Yuci district in Jinzhong
Wuxi 无锡 3,542,319 3,542,319 Prefectural city 6,372,624 East
Zibo 淄博 3,530,037 3,002,181 Prefectural city 4,530,600 East
Kunming 昆明 3,353,860 3,184,580 Prefectural city
Provincial capital		 6,432,212 Southwest
Hefei 合肥 3,352,076 3,352,076 Prefectural city
Provincial capital		 5,702,466 East
Changchun 长春 3,341,700 3,341,700 Sub-provincial city
Provincial capital		 7,677,089 Northeast
Dalian 大连 3,266,905 3,266,905 Sub-provincial city 6,690,432 Northeast
Tangshan 唐山 3,163,352 919,082 Prefectural city 7,577,284 North
Ningbo 宁波 3,089,180 3,089,180 Sub-provincial city 7,605,700 East
Fuzhou 福州 2,921,763 2,921,763 Prefectural city
Provincial capital		 7,115,370 East
Changzhou 常州 3,290,548 3,290,548 Prefectural city 4,591,972 East
Taizhou 台州 2,807,592 1,575,252 Prefectural city 5,968,800 East Incl. Wenling city now in built up area.
Ürümqi 乌鲁木齐 2,744,280 2,302,146 Prefectural city
Provincial capital		 3,110,280 Northwest
Guiyang 贵阳 2,552,635 2,552,635 Prefectural city
Provincial capital		 4,324,561 Southwest
Nanning 南宁 2,480,340 2,875,220 Prefectural city
Provincial capital		 6,661,600 South Central
Xuzhou 徐州 2,369,851 2,828,834 Prefectural city 8,580,500 East
Nanchang 南昌 2,180,100 2,012,400 Prefectural city
Provincial capital		 5,042,565 East
Lanzhou 兰州 2,177,130 2,177,130 Prefectural city
Provincial capital		 3,616,163 Northwest
Anshan 鞍山 2,171,050 1,529,350 Prefectural city 3,645,884 Northeast
Yangzhou 扬州 2,146,980 1,112,526 Prefectural city 4,459,760 East
Haikou 海口 2,046,189 2,046,189 Prefectural city
Provincial capital		 2,046,189 South Central
Nantong 南通 1,994,708 1,994,708 Prefectural city 7,282,835 East
Hohhot 呼和浩特 1,980,774 1,980,774 Prefectural city
Provincial capital		 2,866,615 North
Jilin 吉林 1,975,803 1,975,803 Prefectural city 4,414,681 Northeast
Huainan 淮南 1,899,740 1,626,905 Prefectural city 2,334,000 East
Linyi 临沂 1,876,770 1,876,770 Prefectural city 10,039,400 East
Xiangtan 湘潭 1,779,960 684,600 Prefectural city 2,748,552 South Central Built up area of 2,586,948 in progress with 4 urban districts of Zhuzhou
Huizhou 惠州 0 !Guangzhou 1,746,180 Prefectural city 4,597,002 South Central
Baotou 包头 1,703,700 1,779,420 Prefectural city 2,650,364 North
Nanyang 南阳 1,672,171 1,672,171 Prefectural city 10,263,006 South Central
Baoding 保定 1,665,360 1,028,000 Prefectural city 11,194,379 North
Liuzhou 柳州 1,603,318 1,029,946 Prefectural city 3,758,700 South Central Incl. Liujiang county within built up area
Tai'an 泰安 1,594,977 1,594,877 Prefectural city 5,494,200 East
Fuyang 阜阳 1,533,432 1,533,432 Prefectural city 7,599,918 East
Jiangmen 江门 0 !Guangzhou 1,529,556 Prefectural city 4,448,871 South Central
Yinchuan 银川 1,513,151 1,290,170 Prefectural city
Provincial capital		 1,993,088 Northwest Incl. Helan county within built up area
Weifang 潍坊 1,512,584 1,512,984 Prefectural city 9,086,200 East
Zhuhai 珠海 1,500,000 761,200 Prefectural city
Special Economic Zones		 1,560,229 South Central Incl. Macau and southern part of Zhongshan
Huangshi 黄石 1,498,053 621,654 Prefectural city 2,429,318 South Central Incl. Daye city
Lu'an 六安 1,482,729 1,482,729 Prefectural city 5,612,000 East
Luoyang 洛阳 1,455,500 1,527,250 Prefectural city 6,549,486 South Central
Zhangzhou 漳州 1,453,135 596,165 Prefectural city 4,809,983 South Central
Datong 大同 1,447,550 1,570,035 Prefectural city 3,318,057 North
Zhanjiang 湛江 1,400,685 1,400,685 Prefectural city 1,392,493 East
Panjin 盘锦 1,392,493 635,037 Prefectural city 1,392,493 Northeast Incl. 2 urban districts plus Dawa and Panshan counties partly in built up area
Suqian 宿迁 1,382,049 1,382,049 Prefectural city 4,715,553 East
Handan 邯郸 1,371,399 946,159 Prefectural city 9,174,679 North
Ma'anshan 马鞍山 1,366,302 633,940 Prefectural city 1,366,302 East
Yingkou 营口 1,340,993 897,515 Prefectural city 2,428,534 Northeast Incl. Dashiqiao city now in built up area
Fushun 抚顺 0 !Shenyang 1,340,205 Prefectural city 2,138,090 Northeast
Heze 菏泽 1,300,541 1,300,541 Prefectural city 8,287,800 East
Bozhou 亳州 1,261,670 1,261,670 Prefectural city 4,851,000 East Built up area probably smaller because of the huge city area (2,226 km²)
Changde 常德 1,232,182 1,232,182 Prefectural city 5,717,218 South Central
Yantai 烟台 1,229,718 1,747,494 Prefectural city 6,968,200 East
Neijiang 内江 1,225,424 1,225,424 Prefectural city 3,702,847 Southwest
Xining 西宁 1,198,304 1,198,304 Prefectural city
Provincial capital		 2,208,708 Northwest
Shaoxing 绍兴 0 !Hangzhou 1,195,797 Prefectural city 4,912,200 East
Yichang 宜昌 1,180,300 1,231,175 Prefectural city 4,059,686 South Central
Jingzhou 荆州 1,154,086 1,154,086 Prefectural city 5,691,707 South Central
Xiangyang 襄阳 1,121,000 1,121,000 Prefectural city 5,500,307 South Central
Chifeng 赤峰 1,094,970 1,094,970 Prefectural city 4,341,245 North Built up area probably smaller because of the huge city area (7,012 km²)
Guigang 贵港 1,084,065 1,084,065 Prefectural city 4,118,800 South Central
Jinhua 金华 1,082,974 1,082,974 Prefectural city 5,361,600 East
Xingtai 邢台 1,067,772 1,067,772 Prefectural city 7,104,114 North Incl. Xingtai county now in built up area
Laiwu 莱芜 1,047,000 1,298,500 Prefectural city 1,298,500 East Gangcheng urban district not yet in built up area
Daqing 大庆 1,042,902 1,323,252 Prefectural city 2,904,532 Northeast Datong urban district not yet in built up area
Jining 济宁 1,035,615 1,035,615 Prefectural city 8,081,900 East
Guilin 桂林 1,032,657 694,872 Prefectural city 4,748,000 South Central
Maoming 茂名 1,028,500 1,028,500 Prefectural city 5,817,753 South Central
Mianyang 绵阳 985,586 985,586 Prefectural city 4,613,862 Southwest
Benxi 本溪 959,610 959,610 Prefectural city 1,709,538 Northeast
Anyang 安阳 950,131 950,131 Prefectural city 5,172,834 South Central
Pingdingshan 平顶山 932,790 932,790 Prefectural city 4,904,367 South Central
Hengyang 衡阳 886,424 936,789 Prefectural city 7,141,462 South Central
Jinzhou 锦州 886,008 886,008 Prefectural city 3,126,463 Northeast
Dongying 东营 881,010 643,815 Prefectural city 2,035,300 East Incl. Kenli county partly within built up area
Zaozhuang 枣庄 868,445 2,125,136 Prefectural city 3,729,300 East Xuecheng, Shanting and Tai'erzhuang urban districts not in built up area
Rizhao 日照 865,032 1,143,078 Prefectural city 2,801,100 East Lanshan urban district not in built up area
Wuhu 芜湖 864,932 1,009,824 Prefectural city 2,263,123 East
Xianyang 咸阳 0 !Xi'an 859,520 Prefectural city 5,096,006 Northwest
Jiamusi 佳木斯 850,750 850,750 Prefectural city 2,552,097 Northeast
Suihua 绥化 849,033 849,033 Prefectural city 5,416,339 Northeast
Qiqihar 齐齐哈尔 847,388 1,395,090 Prefectural city 5,611,000 Northeast
Jiaozuo 焦作 838,050 838,050 Prefectural city 3,539,860 South Central
Kaifeng 开封 826,961 826,961 Prefectural city 4,676,159 South Central
Qinhuangdao 秦皇岛 820,800 820,800 Prefectural city 2,987,605 North
Zhuzhou 株洲 806,988 806,988 Prefectural city 3,855,609 South Central Built up area of 2,586,948 in progress with 3 urban districts of Xiangtan
Mudanjiang 牡丹江 805,584 805,584 Prefectural city 2,798,723 Northeast
Bengbu 蚌埠 802,575 802,575 Prefectural city 3,164,467 East
Zhoushan 舟山 796,979 796,979 Prefectural city 1,121,300 East
Anqing 安庆 780,000 780,000 Prefectural city 5,311,000 East
Xinxiang 新乡 779,775 914,936 Prefectural city 5,707,801 South Central Fengquan urban district not yet linked to built up area
Langfang 廊坊 777,632 777,632 Prefectural city 4,358,839 North Sanhe City and Dachang Hui Autonomous County included in Beijing built up area
Zhenjiang 镇江 769,560 1,189,320 Prefectural city 3,113,384 East
Dandong 丹东 760,800 760,800 Prefectural city 2,444,697 Northeast
Huludao 葫芦岛 759,190 759,190 Prefectural city 2,623,541 Northeast
Yibin 宜宾 673,413 672,413 Prefectural city 4,472,001 Southwest
Fuxin 阜新 669,317 669,317 Prefectural city 1,819,339 Northeast
Qujing 曲靖 659,925 659,925 Prefectural city 5,855,055 Southwest Zhanyi county nearly in built up area
Hezhou 贺州 653,080 1,216,080 Prefectural city 2,893,500 South Central Nanxun urban district not in built up area
Tieling 铁岭 647,928 305,966 Prefectural city 2,717,732 Northeast Incl. Tieling county in built up area
Binzhou 滨州 628,172 628,172 Prefectural city 3,748,500 East
Shaoyang 邵阳 615,321 615,321 Prefectural city 7,071,826 South Central
Aksu 阿克苏 599,464 599,464 County city 2,370,887 Northwest Incl. largely rural areas
Weihai 威海 591,982 591,982 Prefectural city 2,804,800 East
Yangjiang 阳江 589,050 589,050 Prefectural city 2,421,812 South Central
Dezhou 德州 580,260 580,260 Prefectural city 5,568,200 East
Yueyang 岳阳 571,670 977,036 Prefectural city 5,477,911 South Central Junshan and Yunxi urban districts not yet in built up area
Taizhou 泰州 571,516 571,516 Prefectural city 4,618,558 East
Chuzhou 滁州 562,321 562,321 Prefectural city 3,937,868 East
Jiujiang 九江 545,616 545,616 Prefectural city 4,728,763 East
Macau 澳门 0 !Zhuhai 541,200 Special administrative region 541,200 South Central
Liaoyang 辽阳 0 !Anshan 527,850 Prefectural city 1,859,758 Northeast
Cangzhou 沧州 514,074 514,074 Prefectural city 7,134,053 North
Puyang 濮阳 512,652 512,652 Prefectural city 3,598,494 South Central
Hegang 鹤岗 489,232 489,232 Prefectural city 1,058,665 Northeast Dongshan district not yet in built up area
Lianyungang 连云港 460,012 628,996 Prefectural city 4,393,914 East
Yulin 玉林 456,136 456,136 Prefectural city 3,351,437 South Central Incl. largely rural areas
Chaozhou 潮州 0 !Shantou 452,472 Prefectural city 2,669,844 South Central
Nanping 南平 423,605 423,605 Prefectural city 2,645,549 East
Beihai 北海 405,600 572,000 Prefectural city 1,539,300 South Central
Kashgar 喀什 396,795 396,795 County city
Special Economic Zones		 3,979,262 Northwest
Lishui 丽水 328,757 328,757 Prefectural city 2,117,000 East
Zhoukou 周口 308,173 308,173 Prefectural city 8,953,172 South Central
Altay 阿勒泰 216,890 216,890 County city 603,280 Northwest
Lhasa 拉萨 262,918 262,918 Prefectural city
Provincial capital		 559,423 Southwest
Karamay 克拉玛依 234,600 234,600 Prefectural city 391,008 Northwest
Lijiang 丽江 155,540 155,540 Prefectural city 1,244,769 Southwest


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