Eleven provincial-level regions buck national trend with population growth

Eleven provincial-level regions experienced population growth over the past three years despite a national decrease of 4.32 million people, according to the China Statistical Yearbook 2025.

These include the provinces of Zhejiang, Guangdong, Hainan, Jiangsu, Anhui, Guizhou, Fujian, and Hubei, and the autonomous regions of Ningxia Hui, Xizang, and Xinjiang Uygur, with Zhejiang and Guangdong leading in population increase.

Populations in China are flowing into the Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta regions, as individuals from small and medium-sized cities and rural areas continue to migrate toward urban centers.

Zhejiang, the standout performer, saw its population grow by 1.3 million. Tang Hairu, vice-chairman of the Society for Urban Studies in Zhejiang, attributed this growth to the province's robust private sector and balanced regional development, which helped attract labor from outside the province and minimize urban-rural disparities, reported media outlet Yicai Global in Shanghai.

Among cities, Hefei, Guiyang, Hangzhou, Changsha, and Zhengzhou saw the highest population increases. Four of these cities are provincial capitals in China's central and western regions.

Hefei, the capital of Anhui, led with 537,000 new residents and reached a population of 10 million in 2024, making it the fourth city in the Yangtze River Delta to surpass this milestone.

Lin Fei, a researcher at the Anhui Academy of Social Sciences, attributes this growth to Hefei's strategic focus on upgrading existing clusters while developing new industries, such as new energy vehicles and integrated circuits, Yicai Global reported.

Beyond migration, birth rates and natural population growth remain key differentiators. The Yearbook shows a geographic split in birth rates across 31 provincial-level regions. Those with birth rates surpassing 8 percent are also the regions with an increasing resident population. They are mainly located in the western regions and the South China coastal areas.

For instance, Guangdong is not only a top destination for migrants but also the nation's leader in births, with a birth rate of 8.89 per thousand.