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Do you want to know which China city economies are the driving force behind Mainland China's huge and growing GDP figures?
As China's best-known cities, it came as no surprise that 2019 data popular in Chinese media identified Shanghai and Beijing as the cities with the largest GDP, but few will even have heard of Xinyang, which was ranked 100th.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, China's national GDP reached a new high of CNY 90,031bn (USD 13,608bn) in 2018, but which other Chinese cities had the largest share of this GDP? Keep reading to find out.
In August 2019 a report was released by the Guangzhou-based 21st Century Business Herald (21世纪经济报道) sharing data compiled by their "21 Data News Laboratory" (21数据新闻实验室) which listed the 100 Mainland China cities with the strongest economies.
The report was widely reproduced throughout Chinese media as curious citizens were keen to see how their hometown ranked.
The data in this article is based on this original report by 21st Century Business Herald and refers only to cities in Mainland China, i.e. excludes Hong Kong, Macau & cities in Taiwan.
Bear in mind that due to the way China is administered, the GDP data for each city includes the contribution of counties and towns that fall under their jurisdiction, not just their own districts. This can skew results quite markedly for some cities with a large administrative area, such as Chongqing.
To better illustrate where the largest China city economies are located, we plotted each of the top 100 cities on a map.
The cities represented by black dots each have economies ranked in China's top 25 and are mainly clustered around China's east coast. The darker the dot, the larger the economy.
Each point represents a Chinese city with darker shades representing larger cities. You can identify the different ranks based on the below color code:
Top 25 GDP Cities | Cities Ranked 26-50 | Cities Ranked 51-75 | Cities Ranked 75-100
Here is a full list of the 100 China city economies with the largest GDP based on self-reported data from the first half of 2019.
There is a close correlation between Chinese city economies and China city tiers. Indeed the country's four 1st tier cities (Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou & Shenzhen) are also the four largest China city economies by GDP.
| Rank | City | Name in Chinese | GDP (2019, Q1-Q2 data) | Province |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shanghai | 上海 | CNY 1641bn | Shanghai Municipality |
| 2 | Beijing | 北京 | CNY 1521bn | Beijing Municipality |
| 3 | Shenzhen | 深圳 | CNY 1213bn | Guangdong |
| 4 | Guangzhou | 广州 | CNY 1176bn | Guangdong |
| 5 | Tianjin | 天津 | CNY 1037bn | Tianjin Municipality |
| 6 | Chongqing | 重庆 | CNY 1033bn | Chongqing Municipality |
| 7 | Suzhou | 苏州 | CNY 955bn | Jiangsu |
| 8 | Chengdu | 成都 | CNY 770bn | Sichuan |
| 9 | Wuhan | 武汉 | CNY 748bn | Hubei |
| 10 | Hangzhou | 杭州 | CNY 695bn | Zhejiang |
| 11 | Nanjing | 南京 | CNY 674bn | Jiangsu |
| 12 | Qingdao | 青岛 | CNY 655bn | Shandong |
| 13 | Wuxi | 无锡 | CNY 596bn | Jiangsu |
| 14 | Changsha | 长沙 | CNY 554bn | Hunan |
| 15 | Ningbo | 宁波 | CNY 542bn | Zhejiang |
| 16 | Zhengzhou | 郑州 | CNY 511bn | Henan |
| 17 | Foshan | 佛山 | CNY 480bn | Guangdong |
| 18 | Jinan | 济南 | CNY 479bn | Shandong |
| 19 | Nantong | 南通 | CNY 458bn | Jiangsu |
| 20 | Dongguan | 东莞 | CNY 422bn | Guangdong |
| 21 | Yantai | 烟台 | CNY 417bn | Shandong |
| 22 | Xi'an | 西安 | CNY 414bn | Shaanxi |
| 23 | Quanzhou | 泉州 | CNY 401bn | Fujian |
| 24 | Changzhou | 常州 | CNY 377bn | Jiangsu |
| 25 | Hefei | 合肥 | CNY 375bn | Anhui |
| 26 | Dalian | 大连 | CNY 367bn | Liaoning |
| 27 | Xuzhou | 徐州 | CNY 354bn | Jiangsu |
| 28 | Fuzhou | 福州 | CNY 353bn | Fujian |
| 29 | Tangshan | 唐山 | CNY 339bn | Hebei |
| 30 | Weifang | 潍坊 | CNY 338bn | Shandong |
| 31 | Shijiazhuang | 石家庄 | CNY 316bn | Hebei |
| 32 | Changchun | 长春 | Not reported* | Jilin |
| 33 | Wenzhou | 温州 | CNY 296bn | Zhejiang |
| 34 | Yancheng | 盐城 | CNY 289bn | Jiangsu |
| 35 | Yangzhou | 扬州 | CNY 280bn | Jiangsu |
| 36 | Shaoxing | 绍兴 | CNY 274bn | Zhejiang |
| 37 | Taizhou | 泰州 | CNY 273bn | Jiangsu |
| 38 | Harbin | 哈尔滨 | CNY 272bn | Heilongjiang |
| 39 | Shenyang | 沈阳 | Not reported* | Liaoning |
| 40 | Zibo | 淄博 | CNY 266bn | Shandong |
| 41 | Nanchang | 南昌 | CNY 264bn | Jiangxi |
| 42 | Jining | 济宁 | CNY 257bn | Shandong |
| 43 | Linyi | 临沂 | CNY 251bn | Shandong |
| 44 | Kunming | 昆明 | CNY 236bn | Yunnan |
| 45 | Jiaxing | 嘉兴 | CNY 232bn | Zhejiang |
| 46 | Luoyang | 洛阳 | CNY 232bn | Henan |
| 47 | Xiamen | 厦门 | CNY 231bn | Fujian |
| 48 | Taizhou | 台州 | CNY 226bn | Zhejiang |
| 49 | Zhenjiang | 镇江 | CNY 222bn | Jiangsu |
| 50 | Jinhua | 金华 | CNY 211bn | Zhejiang |
| 51 | Huizhou | 惠州 | CNY 209bn | Guangdong |
| 52 | Yichang | 宜昌 | CNY 208bn | Hubei |
| 53 | Xiangyang | 襄阳 | CNY 206bn | Hubei |
| 54 | Tai'an | 泰安 | CNY 205bn | Shandong |
| 55 | Ordos | 鄂尔多斯 | CNY 197bn | Inner Mongolia |
| 56 | Huai'an | 淮安 | CNY 196bn | Jiangsu |
| 57 | Dongying | 东营 | CNY 195bn | Shandong |
| 58 | Taiyuan | 太原 | CNY 195bn | Shanxi |
| 59 | Zhongshan | 中山 | CNY 191bn | Guangdong |
| 60 | Yulin | 榆林 | CNY 185bn | Shaanxi |
| 61 | Weihai | 威海 | CNY 185bn | Shandong |
| 62 | Dezhou | 德州 | CNY 182bn | Shandong |
| 63 | Nanning | 南宁 | CNY 182bn | Guangxi |
| 64 | Cangzhou | 沧州 | CNY 181bn | Hebei |
| 65 | Guiyang | 贵阳 | CNY 179bn | Guizhou |
| 66 | Zhangzhou | 漳州 | CNY 178bn | Fujian |
| 67 | Nanyang | 南阳 | CNY 177bn | Henan |
| 68 | Liaocheng | 聊城 | CNY 173bn | Shandong |
| 69 | Heze | 菏泽 | CNY 171bn | Shandong |
| 70 | Wuhu | 芜湖 | CNY 169bn | Anhui |
| 71 | Handan | 邯郸 | CNY 168bn | Hebei |
| 72 | Yueyang | 岳阳 | CNY 160bn | Hunan |
| 73 | Changde | 常德 | CNY 160bn | Hunan |
| 74 | Maoming | 茂名 | CNY 156bn | Guangdong |
| 75 | Baoding | 保定 | CNY 150bn | Hebei |
| 76 | Hohhot | 呼和浩特 | CNY 149bn | Inner Mongolia |
| 77 | Zhuhai | 珠海 | CNY 148bn | Guangdong |
| 78 | Zunyi | 遵义 | CNY 148bn | Guizhou |
| 79 | Huzhou | 湖州 | CNY 146bn | Zhejiang |
| 80 | Lianyungang | 连云港 | CNY 145bn | Jiangsu |
| 81 | Zhanjiang | 湛江 | CNY 144bn | Guangdong |
| 82 | Jiangmen | 江门 | CNY 143bn | Guangdong |
| 83 | Suqian | 宿迁 | CNY 141bn | Jiangsu |
| 84 | Xuchang | 许昌 | CNY 141bn | Henan |
| 85 | Binzhou | 滨州 | CNY 135bn | Shandong |
| 86 | Urumqi | 乌鲁木齐 | Not reported* | Xinjiang |
| 87 | Lanzhou | 兰州 | CNY 134bn | Gansu |
| 88 | Baotou | 包头 | Not reported* | Inner Mongolia |
| 89 | Ganzhou | 赣州 | CNY 133bn | Jiangxi |
| 90 | Zhoukou | 周口 | CNY 133bn | Henan |
| 91 | Zaozhuang | 枣庄 | CNY 132bn | Shandong |
| 92 | Hengyang | 衡阳 | CNY 131bn | Hunan |
| 93 | Daqing | 大庆 | Not reported* | Heilongjiang |
| 94 | Jiujiang | 九江 | CNY 130bn | Jiangxi |
| 95 | Zhuzhou | 株洲 | CNY 127bn | Hunan |
| 96 | Liuzhou | 柳州 | Not reported* | Guangxi |
| 97 | Xinxiang | 新乡 | CNY 127bn | Henan |
| 98 | Shantou | 汕头 | CNY 127bn | Guangdong |
| 99 | Langfang | 廊坊 | Not reported* | Hebei |
| 100 | Xinyang | 信阳 | CNY 121bn | Henan |
*GDP data for 2019 Q1-Q2 was unavailable for Changchun, Shenyang, Urumqi, Baotou, Daqing, Liuzhou and Langfang at the time the article was produced. Rankings for these cities are based on data from 2018 Q3-Q4, but unfortunately the actual GDP figure wasn't provided.
One thing that this data highlights is the disparity of wealth between China's different provinces - a theme we have noted previously when looking at where Chinese companies are concentrated and where foreign companies do business.
The large and prosperous coastal provinces of Shandong, Jiangsu and Guangdong lead the way with the most number of top 100 cities.
Meanwhile, there are 4 Mainland China provinces without any city in the top 100. They are Qinghai, Tibet, Hainan and Ningxia.
| Province | Name in Chinese | Number of Cities | Cities (Rank) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shandong | 山东省 | 15 | Qingdao (12), Jinan (18), Yantai (21), Weifang (30), Zibo (40), Jining (42), Linyi (43), Tai'an (54), Dongying (57), Weihai (61), Dezhou (62), Liaocheng (68), Heze (69), Binzhou (85), Zaozhuang (91) |
| Jiangsu | 江苏省 | 13 | Suzhou (7), Nanjing (11), Wuxi (13), Nantong (19), Changzhou (24), Xuzhou (27), Yancheng (34), Yangzhou (35), Taizhou (37), Zhenjiang (49), Huai'an (56), Lianyungang (80), Suqian (83) |
| Guangdong | 广东省 | 11 | Shenzhen (3), Guangzhou (4), Foshan (17), Dongguan (20), Huizhou (51), Zhongshan (59), Maoming (74), Zhuhai (77), Zhanjiang (81), Jiangmen (82), Shantou (98) |
| Zhejiang | 浙江省 | 8 | Hangzhou (10), Ningbo (15), Wenzhou (33), Shaoxing (36), Jiaxing (45), Taizhou (48), Jinhua (50), Huzhou (79) |
| Henan | 河南省 | 7 | Zhengzhou (16), Luoyang (46), Nanyang (67), Xuchang (84), Zhoukou (90), Xinxiang (97), Xinyang (100) |
| Hebei | 湖北省 | 6 | Tangshan (29), Shijiazhuang (31), Cangzhou (64), Handan (71), Baoding (75), Langfang (99) |
| Hunan | 湖南省 | 5 | Changsha (14), Yueyang (72), Changde (73), Hengyang (92), Zhuzhou (95) |
| Fujian | 福建省 | 4 | Quanzhou (23), Fuzhou (28), Xiamen (47), Zhangzhou (66) |
| Hubei | 湖北省 | 3 | Wuhan (9) , Yichang (52), Xiangyang (53) |
| Jiangxi | 江西省 | 3 | Nanchang (41), Ganzhou (89), Jiujiang (94) |
| Inner Mongolia | 内蒙古自治区 | 3 | Ordos (55), Hohhot (76), Baotou (88) |
| Shaanxi | 陕西省 | 2 | Xi'an (22), Yulin (60) |
| Anhui | 安徽省 | 2 | Hefei (25), Wuhu (70) |
| Liaoning | 辽宁省 | 2 | Dalian (26), Shenyang (39) |
| Heilongjiang | 黑龙江省 | 2 | Harbin (38), Daqing (93) |
| Guangxi | 广西壮族自治区 | 2 | Nanning (63), Liuzhou (96) |
| Guizhou | 贵州省 | 2 | Guiyang (65), Zunyi (79) |
| Sichuan | 四川省 | 1 | Chengdu (8) |
| Jilin | 吉林省 | 1 | Changchun (32) |
| Yunnan | 云南省 | 1 | Kunming (44) |
| Shanxi | 山西省 | 1 | Taiyuan (58) |
| Xinjiang | 新疆维吾尔自治区 | 1 | Urumqi (86) |
| Gansu | 甘肃省 | 1 | Lanzhou (87) |
| Shanghai Municipality | 上海市 | 1 | Shanghai (1) |
| Beijing Municipality | 北京市 | 1 | Beijing (2) |
| Tianjin Municipality | 天津市 | 1 | Tianjin (5) |
| Chongqing Municipality | 重庆市 | 1 | Chongqing (6) |
View this comprehensive list of cities in China from Ankang to Zunyi!
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Matt Slater
Author
Hi there, I'm Matt, the Founder & CEO of China Checkup. Originally from the UK, I am now based in Brisbane, Australia.
Frustrated by the scarcity of concise, high-quality and timely information about Chinese companies, I setup China Checkup whilst living in Shanghai in 2013.
My team are proud that China Checkup's company verification reports have now helped thousands of clients from all corners of the world to do business in China more safely.