China has urbanized significantly in recent decades. The percent of the country's population living in urban areas increased from 20% in 1980 to over 60% in 2019.[512][513][514] It is estimated that China's urban population will reach one billion by 2030, potentially equivalent to one-eighth of the world population.[513][514]

China has over 160 cities with a population of over one million,[515] including the 10 megacities\516\ of Chongqing, Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu, Harbin, Guangzhou, Tianjin, Shenzhen, Wuhan, Shijiazhuang and Suzhou.[517][518][519] Shanghai is China's most populous urban area[520][521] while Chongqing is its largest city proper.[522] By 2025, it is estimated that the country will be home to 221 cities with over a million inhabitants.[513] The figures in the table below are from the 2017 census,[523] and are only estimates of the urban populations within administrative city limits; a different ranking exists when considering the total municipal populations (which includes suburban and rural populations). The large "floating populations" of migrant workers make conducting censuses in urban areas difficult;[524] the figures below include only long-term residents.