Guiyang, capital of Southwest China's Guizhou province, proposed a five-year effort to increase the permanent population of Guiyang City and Gui'an New Area to around 7.5 million and raise the urbanization rate to 83 percent, accelerating its development into a mega-city.

Guiyang's permanent population was 6.40 million in 2023, an increase of 182,500 from the previous year, ranking second nationwide in growth. By the end of 2024, the permanent population reached 6.60 million, with a single-year growth of 199,600, surpassing cities like Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Hangzhou, and ranking first among all the provincial capitals of China.

The city view of Guiyang. [Photo/Guiyang news network]

Guiyang's industrial development provides a solid foundation for population growth, particularly in the rapid development of six key industries: electronic information manufacturing, equipment manufacturing, phosphorus and phosphorus chemicals, aluminum and aluminum processing, health pharmaceuticals, and ecological specialty foods. Meanwhile, the booming big data industry has made Guiyang the region with the largest computing power scale and the strongest intelligent computing capability in the country, offering a wealth of career opportunities for various talents.

In 2024, Guiyang ranked 27th among 101 innovative cities nationwide and 4th among 20 national innovative cities in the western region. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), Guiyang and Gui'an have together added 90,800 manufacturing talents, 84,600 big data talents, and 45,900 rural revitalization industry talents.

In fact, talent has become the main force of Guiyang's population growth. Guiyang has implemented systematic policy measures, including "zero-threshold" household registration, talent apartments, and rental subsidies, while also organizing numerous job fairs and talent introduction activities. Since the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), employment channels have gradually been expanded to encompass such fields as finance, electricity, communications, and military-civilian integration, providing 778,000 job opportunities for college graduates an other groups. As a result, Guiyang has been listed among the most talent-friendly cities in the nation and was included on the list of China's Top 50 Cities for Talent Development Ecosystem in 2024.

Among all the major cities nationwide, Guiyang has a relatively young population. In 2022, it was selected as one of the first national youth development-oriented city construction pilot areas. Known as "China's summer retreat" and "City of Music", Guiyang benefits hugely from its robust ecological environment, rich cultural activities, and comprehensive urban facilities, serving as an ideal residence for increasing numbers of young people and talents.

From 2021 to 2024, the average annual growth rates for the number of tourists received, total tourism revenue, and overnight visitors in Guiyang were 4.65 percent, 11.17 percent, and 21.22 percent, respectively. Guiyang's urban charm and development potential make it an important destination for population inflow in the central and western regions of China.