China Province Area Rankings 2025: All 34 Provinces Ranked by Land Area
China spans approximately 9.6 million square kilometers, making it the world's third-largest country by land area. This comprehensive ranking covers all 34 provincial-level divisions, from the vast expanses of Xinjiang (1.66 million km²) to the tiny territory of Macau (33 km²). The data reveals enormous geographic diversity across China's administrative landscape.
Complete Rankings Table
| # | Province / Region | Area (km²) | % of China |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Xinjiang (新疆维吾尔自治区) | 1,664,900 | 17.3% |
| 2 | Tibet (西藏自治区) | 1,228,400 | 12.8% |
| 3 | Inner Mongolia (内蒙古自治区) | 1,183,000 | 12.3% |
| 4 | Qinghai (青海省) | 722,300 | 7.5% |
| 5 | Sichuan (四川省) | 486,000 | 5.1% |
| 6 | Heilongjiang (黑龙江省) | 473,000 | 4.9% |
| 7 | Gansu (甘肃省) | 425,800 | 4.4% |
| 8 | Yunnan (云南省) | 394,100 | 4.1% |
| 9 | Guangxi (广西壮族自治区) | 237,600 | 2.5% |
| 10 | Hunan (湖南省) | 211,800 | 2.2% |
| 11 | Shaanxi (陕西省) | 205,600 | 2.1% |
| 12 | Hebei (河北省) | 187,700 | 2.0% |
| 13 | Jilin (吉林省) | 187,400 | 2.0% |
| 14 | Hubei (湖北省) | 185,900 | 1.9% |
| 15 | Guangdong (广东省) | 180,000 | 1.9% |
| 16 | Guizhou (贵州省) | 176,000 | 1.8% |
| 17 | Jiangxi (江西省) | 166,900 | 1.7% |
| 18 | Henan (河南省) | 167,000 | 1.7% |
| 19 | Shandong (山东省) | 158,000 | 1.6% |
| 20 | Shanxi (山西省) | 156,000 | 1.6% |
| 21 | Liaoning (辽宁省) | 148,000 | 1.5% |
| 22 | Anhui (安徽省) | 140,100 | 1.5% |
| 23 | Fujian (福建省) | 124,000 | 1.3% |
| 24 | Jiangsu (江苏省) | 107,200 | 1.1% |
| 25 | Zhejiang (浙江省) | 105,500 | 1.1% |
| 26 | Chongqing (重庆市) | 82,400 | 0.9% |
| 27 | Ningxia (宁夏回族自治区) | 66,400 | 0.7% |
| 28 | Taiwan (台湾省) | 36,000 | 0.4% |
| 29 | Hianan (海南省) | 35,400 | 0.4% |
| 30 | Beijing (北京市) | 16,400 | 0.2% |
| 31 | Tianjin (天津市) | 11,900 | 0.1% |
| 32 | Shanghai (上海市) | 6,340 | 0.07% |
| 33 | Hong Kong (香港特别行政区) | 1,106 | 0.01% |
| 34 | Macau (澳门特别行政区) | 33 | 0.0003% |
Area Tier Classification
Tier 1: Ultra-Large Provinces (over 1 million km²)
Only three divisions exceed the one-million-square-kilometer threshold, together covering 42.1% of China:
- Xinjiang — 1,664,900 km² (largest, roughly the size of Iran)
- Tibet — 1,228,400 km² (the Roof of the World)
- Inner Mongolia — 1,183,000 km² (stretches across northern China)
Tier 2: Large Provinces (400,000 – 1,000,000 km²)
Four provinces fall into this category, dominated by western and northeastern regions:
- Qinghai — 722,300 km² (7.5% of China, on the Tibetan Plateau)
- Sichuan — 486,000 km² (5.1%, home to Chengdu)
- Heilongjiang — 473,000 km² (4.9%, China's northernmost province)
- Gansu — 425,800 km² (4.4%, the Silk Road corridor)
Tier 3: Medium Provinces (100,000 – 400,000 km²)
The largest tier with 10 provinces, spanning central, southern, and northern China:
- Yunnan (394,100 km²), Guangxi (237,600), Hunan (211,800), Shaanxi (205,600), Hebei (187,700), Jilin (187,400), Hubei (185,900), Guangdong (180,000), Guizhou (176,000), Jiangxi (166,900), Henan (167,000), Shandong (158,000), Shanxi (156,000), Liaoning (148,000), Anhui (140,100), Fujian (124,000), Jiangsu (107,200), Zhejiang (105,500)
Tier 4: Small Provinces (10,000 – 100,000 km²)
- Chongqing — 82,400 km² (the largest municipality)
- Ningxia — 66,400 km² (smallest autonomous region)
- Taiwan — 36,000 km²
- Hainan — 35,400 km² (China's largest island province)
- Beijing — 16,400 km²
- Tianjin — 11,900 km²
Tier 5: Compact Territories (under 10,000 km²)
- Shanghai — 6,340 km² (smallest province-level division on the mainland)
- Hong Kong — 1,106 km²
- Macau — 33 km² (smallest of all 34 divisions)
Regional Breakdown
China is traditionally divided into seven geographic regions. The area distribution across these regions is highly uneven:
Northwest China (5 provinces)
Total: approximately 3,036,700 km² (31.4% of China). This is by far the largest region, dominated by the vast territories of Xinjiang, Tibet, Qinghai, Gansu, and Ningxia. This region alone accounts for nearly a third of China's total area but is home to less than 5% of its population.
North China (5 provinces)
Total: approximately 1,554,000 km² (16.1%). Includes Inner Mongolia, Hebei, Shanxi, Beijing, and Tianjin. Inner Mongolia alone accounts for 76% of this regional total.
Southwest China (5 provinces)
Total: approximately 2,296,400 km² (23.7%). Led by Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Chongqing, and Tibet (counted here by geographic convention).
Northeast China (3 provinces)
Total: approximately 787,400 km² (8.1%). Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning form China's traditional industrial heartland.
East China (7 provinces)
Total: approximately 832,100 km² (8.6%). Includes Shandong, Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi, and Shanghai. Despite having the smallest total area, East China is the most densely populated and economically productive region.
South Central China (6 provinces)
Total: approximately 1,018,700 km² (10.5%). Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, and Hainan.
Key Insights
Area vs. Economy: The Efficiency Gap
Some of China's most economically productive provinces are remarkably small. Guangdong (ranked 15th by area) produces the highest GDP at 14.16 trillion yuan. Jiangsu (24th by area) ranks second in GDP at 13.70 trillion yuan. Meanwhile, Xinjiang, the largest by area, has a GDP roughly one-tenth of Guangdong's.
Area vs. Population Density
The contrast in population density is staggering. Shanghai (6,340 km²) holds nearly 25 million people (about 3,900 people per km²), while Tibet (1,228,400 km²) has only about 3.6 million (roughly 3 people per km²). Macau at 33 km² has over 680,000 residents, making it one of the most densely populated places on Earth.
The Top 3 Concentration
Just three divisions — Xinjiang, Tibet, and Inner Mongolia — cover over 4 million km², which is 42.1% of China's entire land area. This extreme geographic concentration underscores how China's population and economy are concentrated in the eastern half, while the western half remains vast and sparsely populated.
Interesting Comparisons
- Xinjiang (1,664,900 km²) is larger than Iran and roughly the size of Alaska
- Tibet (1,228,400 km²) is roughly the size of South Africa
- Heilongjiang (473,000 km²) is larger than Sweden
- Guangdong (180,000 km²) has a higher GDP than Russia's entire economy
- Shanghai (6,340 km²) produces more GDP than many countries
- Macau (33 km²) is smaller than many city parks worldwide
Data source: Official statistics from the National Bureau of Statistics of China and the Ministry of Natural Resources. Area figures include land and inland water bodies. For detailed administrative division data and interactive maps, visit 7zi.com/china/.