As the five most economically-developed regions of China, the provinces of Guangdong, Zhejiang and Jiangsu, as well as the cities of Shanghai and Beijing, attract the largest inflows of people. According to official data, Shanghai had net inflow from across China, reflecting the megacity’s strong pull on talent.

As of the end of 2020, Shanghai’s net population inflow was close to 10.1 million, ranking third nationally, the 2020 census yearbook recently released by the National Bureau of Statistics showed.

In terms of outflow, the number of people whose household registration was in Shanghai but who stayed elsewhere was just 383,700, which placed the city third from last. Jiangsu was the top destination for those leaving Shanghai, with the eastern province attracting a total 154,200 persons.

Beijing, a leading first-tier city like Shanghai, had a net outflow to just two places: Shanghai and Hainan province. A total of 35,100 Beijingers lived in Shanghai.

Jiangsu, which ranked second among the five most economically-developed regions, boasted the biggest population outflow, with about 4.35 million residents living outside the province, ranking it 10th among Chinese provinces and municipalities.

There are some internal gaps in economic development in Jiangsu, according to Niu Fengrui, a researcher with the urban development and environment institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Jiangsu’s northern part has a very high population density, but a comparatively less-developed economy, so the motivation for outflow is relatively sufficient, he said.

By contrast, though the regional gap within Guangdong, the most economically-developed province, is larger, there were not many Cantonese residing outside their home province. They numbered only 1.69 million, ranking Guangdong ninth from bottom among all regions.

The Pearl River Delta, which boasts two first-tier cities -- Guangzhou and Shenzhen -- the manufacturing hubs of Foshan and Dongguan, is economically developed, Niu noted. The Pearl River basin not only attracts inflows of people from other provinces, but also takes many from less economically-advanced areas within Guangdong, so there are relatively fewer people leaving the southern province to live elsewhere.

Guangdong had net outflows to only three municipalities: Shanghai, Beijing and Tianjin. A total of 122,700 Cantonese resided in Shanghai as of the end of 2020.

Source: Yicai