Population in China in 2021, by region

In 2021, approximately 126.8 million people lived in Guangdong province in China. That same year, only about 3.66 million people lived in the sparsely populated highlands of Tibet.

Regional differences in China

China is the world’s most populous country, with an exceptional economic growth momentum. The country can be roughly divided into three regions: Western, Eastern, and Central China. Western China covers the most remote regions from the sea. It also has the highest proportion of minority population and the lowest levels of economic output. Eastern China, on the other hand, enjoys a high level of economic development and international corporations. Central China lags behind in comparison to the booming coastal regions. In order to accelerate the economic development of Western and Central Chinese regions, the PRC government has ramped up several incentive plans such as ‘Rise of Central China’ and ‘China Western Development’.

Economic power of different provinces

When observed individually, some provinces could stand an international comparison. Jiangxi province, for example, a medium-sized Chinese province, had a population size comparable to Ukraine or Argentina in 2021. That year, the GDP of Zhejiang, an eastern coastal province, even exceeded the economic output of Sweden. In terms of per capita annual income, the municipality of Shanghai reached a level close to that of South Africa. Nevertheless, as shown by the Gini Index, China’s economic spur leaves millions of people in dust. Among the various kinds of economic inequality in China, regional or the so-called coast-inland disparity is one of the most significant. Posing as evidence for the rather large income gap in China, the poorest province Gansu had a per capita income similar to that of Sri Lanka that year.