Demographic and economic development
Beijing is one of four municipalities in China, which are directly administered by the central government. Over the last decades, the city has attracted many migrant workers from rural areas which have contributed to population growth and in 2015 the population of the administrative area of the city had reached nearly 21.9 million. In 2017, the government announced plans to keep the urban population below 23 million by 2020, and it is likely that this target will continue to be a priority in the future. Recent population figures reflect these political objectives. The number of inhabitants living in the urban area of the city, not including distant suburbs und the surrounding countryside, was estimated to range at around 21.8 million in 2023.Beijing has the second largest GDP of all cities in China. The share of the service sector in the city's GDP reached more than 80 percent in recent years, which is very high compared to other cities and provinces in the country. Important industries within the service sector include financial services, information technology, and scientific research and technical services, which together accounted for almost half of Beijing’s GDP and displayed the highest sector growth rates in the years not affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The city is a center of research and education and home to several leading Chinese universities.
