Urban hierarchy of China (2024)

This map, published by Landgeist, represents the hierarchy of cities in China, according to data from 2024.

At the beginning of 2025, China is the second most populous country on the planet and has the world's largest urban network, although there are significant differences and inequalities between cities. The Chinese government has not established a hierarchy of cities as such, although for all intents and purposes this can be seen.

The map shows both the size of the cities, according to the size of the circle, and their hierarchy according to the colour of the circle. There is a clear difference between the first level and the following levels, which is why only the four best-known cities in the country are shown there: Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen and Guangzhou (Canton). The second level includes other important cities such as Chongqing, Chengdu, Wuhan, Qingdao and Tianjin.

The hierarchy of each city also reflects its wealth, with GDP per capita doubling from level 1 cities to level 3 cities.