Shanghai, China Population

Population in Urban Area, now

28,709,499
  • World: 3rd
  • Asia: 3rd
  • China: 1st

Population in City Area, 2021-09-20

22,315,474
  • World: 1st
  • Asia: 1st
  • China: 1st

Shanghai Urban Area Population Graph

Shanghai Population Review

With 27 million people living in its urban area, Shanghai is the largest city in China, and the largest city in the world—and the city’s population is only expected to grow. By 2035, Shanghai is predicted to have over 34 million people! That’s quite the number, especially when you consider that the average life expectancy is 82-years-old.

Shanghai is an expansive city that stretches over 7,037 kilometers. The extraordinarily populated city has an average density of 2,059 people living per square kilometer. Things get even more crowded in the urban areas, with an incredible 3,854 people crammed into a kilometer.

Puxi or Pudong: a city split by time

The city of Shanghai is divided into two areas: Pudong (which sits to the east of the Huangpu River), and Puxi (which sits to the west). Puxi and Pudong are two very different places in the city and, as such, have very different personalities. Pudong is considered the modern part of Shanghai, with much of it less than 30 years old. Pudong is the most populous district in Shanghai and has a population of 5,044,430 inhabitants, which is 1.9 million more than in 2000. At least 2.1 million of those residents are newcomers from other places in China and in 2010, the census showed a population density of 3,909 people per square kilometer.

Across the river, historic Puxi is a blast from Shanghai’s past. In times past, Puxi was the place that hosted foreign nationals all the way from the 19th century to World War II. It’s in Puxi that historical houses and buildings, the Bund, and the city’s famous Art Deco heritage architecture are to be found. The people living in Puxi—of which there are about 48% of Shanghai's residents in an area that’s around 288 square kilometres—have access to the city’s varies choices of restaurants, bars, and shopping districts. The majority of expats who now call Shanghai home actually live on the Puxi side of the city in an area known as the Former French Concession.

Shanghai is extremely attractive to expats

Living and working in Shanghai is an attractive option to expats from around the world. An estimated 174,000 expats are residing in Shanghai, and 88,000 of those are foreign expats. The length of time foreign expats are staying in the city is rising as well, with a 3% increase of foreign expats still living in the city after a year since 2013.

Many of those expats get their first taste of Shanghai when they visit as tourists—of which there are a whopping 6 million per year! Tourists from 53 countries can also visit Shanghai with ease when they take advantage of the city’s 144-Hour Visa-Free Transit.

Economic boom = population boom

Shanghai is an important financial, economic, trade, and shipping center for China. The city’s population has grown steadily for decades. Since 1950, the population has grown by about a million inhabitants a year, with many of these people flocking to the city for its robust economic strength. The city is becoming a post-industrial economy, with its service sector accounting for 70% of the city’s GDP. Shanghai has also been undergoing major industrial restructuring and development within its high-tech industries.

Shanghai is a high-tech city

Experts are predicting that Shanghai will become a technological hub to rival San Francisco by 2021. A huge base of digital media and entertainment companies now call the city home and Shanghai is looking to attract even more.

As the city looks to become a leader in science and technology efforts, its population becomes more and more interested in technology. There is an estimated 50% smartphone penetration rate among the city’s population, and those smartphone users spend an average of 305 minutes on their devices each day. Time is split equally between chatting and listening to music.

Review Updated: July 8, 2020
Shanghai skyline in sunny dayShanghai skyline in sunny day

Shanghai Urban Area Population History

1950 4,288,000
1951 4,590,000
1952 4,913,000
1953 5,258,000
1954 5,481,000
1955 5,713,000
1956 5,955,000
1957 6,207,000
1958 6,478,000
1959 6,771,000
1960 6,865,000
1961 6,752,000
1962 6,641,000
1963 6,531,000
1964 6,423,000
1965 6,428,000
1966 6,388,000
1967 6,302,000
1968 6,218,000
1969 6,135,000
1970 6,052,000
1971 5,971,000
1972 5,891,000
1973 5,813,000
1974 5,735,000
1975 5,658,000
1976 5,582,000
1977 5,508,000
1978 5,559,000
1979 5,740,000
1980 5,928,000
1981 6,121,000
1982 6,321,000
1983 6,569,000
1984 6,828,000
1985 7,096,000
1986 7,375,000
1987 7,665,000
1988 7,967,000
1989 8,280,000
1990 8,606,000
1991 9,050,000
1992 9,519,000
1993 10,010,000
1994 10,528,000
1995 11,072,000
1996 11,645,000
1997 12,246,000
1998 12,879,000
1999 13,545,000
2000 14,247,000
2001 14,830,000
2002 15,357,000
2003 15,904,000
2004 16,470,000
2005 17,056,000
2006 17,663,000
2007 18,291,000
2008 18,943,000
2009 19,616,000
2010 20,314,000
2011 20,948,000
2012 21,555,000
2013 22,179,000
2014 22,821,000
2015 23,482,000
2016 24,163,000
2017 24,862,000
2018 25,582,000
2019 26,317,000
2020 27,058,000
2021 27,796,000
2022 28,517,000
2023 29,211,000
2024 29,868,000

Shanghai Urban Area Population Projections

2025 30,482,000
2026 31,050,000
2027 31,570,000
2028 32,045,000
2029 32,477,000
2030 32,869,000
2031 33,226,000
2032 33,549,000
2033 33,841,000
2034 34,105,000
2035 34,341,000

Map of Shanghai, China

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