Published : 13/07/2026
China has more than 600 cities, and in recent years the number of "mega cities" with populations over 10 million has jumped from seven to ten.
Over the past two to three years, three new cities have joined this group. Which ones made the cut, and which cities might be next?
Permanent residents in urban areas exceeding 10 million
Chinese Mainland has clear definitions for the size of its cities.
Those with an urban resident population of fewer than 500,000 are classified as small cities; 500,000 to 1 million as medium-sized cities; 1 million to 5 million as large cities; 5 million to 10 million as very large cities; and anything above 10 million is classed as a mega city.
Two terms are crucial here: "urban" and "resident". In other words, rural areas are not included, and people who have not lived in the city for at least half a year are excluded from the count.
Based on data from the Seventh National Population Census carried out in 2020, there were seven mega cities in Chinese Mainland. Ranked by population, they are Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Tianjin.
Hangzhou's population surged by 6 million residents in 10 years?
Data released by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development in November 2023 showed that the number of mega cities in Chinese Mainland had risen to 10.
The three additions were Dongguan in Guangdong, with an urban resident population of 10.8244 million; Wuhan in Hubei, with 10.8064 million; and Hangzhou in Zhejiang, with 10.021 million.
Hangzhou, the most recent city to cross the 10 million thresholds, deserves special mention. In 2014, its urban resident population stood at just over 3.8 million. That means it added more than 6 million urban residents in less than a decade — a remarkable increase.
Reports have attributed Hangzhou's rapid growth partly to administrative boundary changes, as well as the effects of hosting the 2016 G20 Hangzhou Summit and the Hangzhou Asian Games, held in 2023.
More importantly, however, its expanding industries — especially the rapid concentration of the digital economy — have created large numbers of jobs for highly skilled workers.
The Pearl River Delta is the most concentrated area
Over the past decade or so, Hangzhou has emerged as a major digital-economy hub. Its e-commerce platforms and third-party payment services now rank first nationwide by transaction volume and capacity.
Looking ahead, reports suggest that Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi province, and Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan, are the most likely next candidates to become mega cities.
Dongguan's upgrade means that Guangdong's Pearl River Delta now has three mega cities. Perhaps less expected is that neighbouring Shenzhen, next to Hong Kong, has China's third-largest urban resident population, at more than 17 million — over twice that of Hong Kong.
Read more:
Chaozhou in Guangdong and Chaozhou in Taiwan
China has active volcanoes? Which one is the most dangerous?