China Province Population Density Rankings 2025

Published: April 20, 2025 | Data: 2023 Census Estimates | Source: National Bureau of Statistics of China

China's population density varies dramatically across its 34 provincial-level administrative divisions, ranging from over 20,000 people per square kilometer in Macau to fewer than 3 per square kilometer in Tibet. This article ranks all provinces, municipalities, autonomous regions, and Special Administrative Regions by population density and analyzes the patterns that define China's demographic geography.

Population density is calculated as total resident population divided by total land area in square kilometers. The data reflects 2023 year-end population estimates and official land area statistics.

Complete Rankings Table

Rank	Province	Population (万人)	Area (km²)	Density (/km²)	Tier
1	Macau (澳门)	68	33	20,606.1	Extreme
2	Hong Kong (香港)	750	1,114	6,732.5	Extreme
3	Shanghai (上海)	2,487	6,341	3,922.1	Extreme
4	Beijing (北京)	2,185	16,400	1,332.3	Extreme
5	Tianjin (天津)	1,364	11,900	1,146.2	Extreme
6	Jiangsu (江苏)	8,515	107,200	794.3	High
7	Guangdong (广东)	12,657	179,700	704.3	High
8	Taiwan (台湾)	2,342	36,000	650.6	High
9	Shandong (山东)	10,153	157,900	643.0	High
10	Zhejiang (浙江)	6,577	105,500	623.4	High
11	Henan (河南)	9,815	167,000	587.7	High
12	Anhui (安徽)	6,127	140,100	437.3	Moderate
13	Hebei (河北)	7,444	187,700	396.6	Moderate
14	Chongqing (重庆)	3,191	82,400	387.3	Moderate
15	Fujian (福建)	4,183	124,000	337.3	Moderate
16	Hubei (湖北)	5,838	185,900	314.0	Moderate
17	Hunan (湖南)	6,622	211,800	312.7	Moderate
18	Hainan (海南)	1,027	35,400	290.1	Moderate
19	Liaoning (辽宁)	4,197	148,600	282.4	Moderate
20	Jiangxi (江西)	4,516	166,900	270.6	Moderate
21	Shanxi (山西)	3,466	156,700	221.2	Moderate
22	Guizhou (贵州)	3,856	176,200	218.8	Moderate
23	Guangxi (广西)	5,027	237,600	211.6	Moderate
24	Shaanxi (陕西)	3,956	205,800	192.2	Low
25	Sichuan (四川)	8,367	486,000	172.2	Low
26	Jilin (吉林)	2,340	187,400	124.9	Low
27	Yunnan (云南)	4,670	394,100	118.5	Low
28	Ningxia (宁夏)	725	66,400	109.2	Low
29	Heilongjiang (黑龙江)	3,099	473,000	65.5	Low
30	Gansu (甘肃)	2,492	425,800	58.5	Low
31	Inner Mongolia (内蒙古)	2,401	1,183,000	20.3	Sparse
32	Xinjiang (新疆)	2,587	1,664,900	15.5	Sparse
33	Qinghai (青海)	594	722,300	8.2	Sparse
34	Tibet (西藏)	364	1,228,400	3.0	Sparse

Density Tier Classification

Extreme (1,000+/km²): Macau, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin — 5 regions
High (500–1,000/km²): Jiangsu, Guangdong, Taiwan, Shandong, Zhejiang, Henan — 6 regions
Moderate (200–500/km²): Anhui, Hebei, Chongqing, Fujian, Hubei, Hunan, Hainan, Liaoning, Jiangxi, Shanxi, Guizhou, Guangxi — 12 regions
Low (50–200/km²): Shaanxi, Sichuan, Jilin, Yunnan, Ningxia, Heilongjiang, Gansu — 7 regions
Sparse (<50/km²): Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Qinghai, Tibet — 4 regions

Key Findings

The national average population density is approximately 149 people per km², but the median is significantly lower due to the concentration of population in eastern regions.
The eastern coastal provinces (east of the Heihe-Tengchong Line) contain approximately 94% of China's population on 43% of its land area.
Macau's density (20,606/km²) is over 6,800 times that of Tibet (3/km²), illustrating the extreme demographic contrast within a single country.
All four municipalities exceed 1,000/km², reflecting their role as compact urban centers.
The three northeastern provinces (Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning) all have declining populations, a trend that has reduced their density rankings over the past decade.

Extreme Density Tier (Over 1,000 per km²)

Five administrative regions in China exceed a population density of 1,000 people per square kilometer, making them among the most densely populated territories in the world. This extreme tier includes three of China's four directly-administered municipalities and both Special Administrative Regions.

Macau leads all of China with an extraordinary density of approximately 20,606 people per km², making it one of the most densely populated places on Earth. Despite its tiny land area of just 33 km², Macau's population of 680,000 creates an intense urban environment dominated by high-rise residential towers, casino complexes, and commercial developments. The limited land has driven extensive land reclamation projects to expand the territory.

Hong Kong follows with approximately 6,733 people per km² across its 1,114 km² territory. Hong Kong's density is concentrated in the northern part of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon Peninsula, and the New Territories, where dramatic mountainous terrain limits developable land. The city is famous for its ultra-dense vertical living, with many residents in high-rise apartment complexes.

Shanghai, China's largest city by population, achieves a density of approximately 3,922 people per km². With nearly 25 million residents in the city-proper, Shanghai's density reflects its role as China's premier financial and commercial center. The historic neighborhoods of the Bund, Puxi, and the extensive high-rise developments of Pudong illustrate how Shanghai manages extreme density while maintaining one of the world's most modern urban landscapes.

Beijing, the national capital, has a density of approximately 1,332 people per km² across its 16,400 km² territory. Beijing's density is notably concentrated in its central urban core, with the surrounding suburban and rural districts of Yanqing, Miyun, and Huairou significantly lowering the average. The city's density pressure has driven housing prices to among the highest in the world.

Tianjin rounds out the extreme tier at approximately 1,146 people per km². As a major port city and industrial center near Beijing, Tianjin combines dense urban development with extensive industrial zones and agricultural hinterland.

High Density Tier (500–1,000 per km²)

The high-density tier represents the core economic engine of mainland China, encompassing six of China's most populous and economically productive provinces. These regions combine large populations with moderate-to-small land areas, creating population pressures that drive both economic dynamism and significant urbanization challenges.

Jiangsu leads this tier at 794 people per km², reflecting its position as one of China's most developed provinces. The Yangtze River Delta region, including cities like Suzhou, Wuxi, and Nanjing, represents some of the densest urban clusters outside the municipalities. Jiangsu's economy, the second-largest in China, benefits from this dense labor force.

Guangdong, China's most populous province with 126.57 million residents, achieves a density of 704 people per km². The Pearl River Delta — including Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Dongguan, and Foshan — forms the world's largest urban agglomeration by both population and manufacturing output.

Taiwan at 651 people per km² represents one of the most densely populated islands globally. The western coastal plain, home to cities like Taipei, Taichung, Kaohsiung, and Tainan, concentrates most of the population, while the mountainous interior remains sparsely populated.

Shandong (643/km²), Zhejiang (623/km²), and Henan (588/km²) round out the high tier. Shandong combines dense agricultural and urban populations, Zhejiang's density reflects its thriving private economy and coastal urbanization, while Henan's high density despite its agricultural character highlights the demographic intensity of the Central Plains region.

Moderate Density Tier (200–500 per km²)

The moderate tier includes 12 provinces that represent the demographic mainstream of China. These regions have sufficient land to balance urban and rural development, while still facing significant population pressure as China's urbanization continues.

Notable provinces in this tier include Hubei (314/km²) anchored by the Wuhan metropolitan area, one of China's largest inland cities; Fujian (337/km²) with its dense southeastern coastal cities; and Liaoning (282/km²), where the Shenyang-Dalian corridor concentrates much of the population in China's Northeast.

Guizhou (219/km²) and Guangxi (212/km²) represent the lower end of this tier, where mountainous terrain limits the habitable area and concentrates populations in river valleys and basins.

Low and Sparse Density Tiers (Below 200 per km²)

Eleven provinces fall below 200 people per km², with the vast western regions of China dominating the sparsest territories. These areas are critical to China's resource base, border security, and ecological preservation but face significant development challenges due to distances, terrain, and thin populations.

Sichuan (172/km²) has a misleadingly low average density because the Sichuan Basin and Chengdu metropolitan area are actually quite dense, while the vast western plateau region is sparsely populated. Yunnan (119/km²) similarly concentrates its population in the east while the mountainous west remains remote.

Inner Mongolia (20/km²), Xinjiang (16/km²), Qinghai (8/km²), and Tibet (3/km²) represent the extreme sparsity of China's western territories. Together, these four regions cover over 60% of China's land area but hold less than 5% of its population. Their densities are comparable to or lower than those of Australia, Canada, and Mongolia, reflecting the vast open steppes, deserts, and high-altitude plateaus that define western China's geography.