# Urbanization

By [cora9981](https://paragraph.com/@cora9981) · 2021-10-29

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### 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.

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*Originally published on [cora9981](https://paragraph.com/@cora9981/urbanization)*