Population of Shanghai, China 1980-2035

By 2035, over 34 million people are projected to call Shanghai home. To reduce this number, the Chinese Government implemented population controls for the city in 2017 which aimed to limit the population living in the administrative area of Shanghai municipality to just around 25 million people in 2035.

Megacity – Shanghai

As China’s cities become increasingly urbanized, the demographic of this megacity has also changed considerably over the years, with more and more Chinese locals and foreigners opting to dwell in Shanghai for work and cultural opportunities. A huge proportion of residents in the city originate from other regions in China. Over 39 percent of the city’s residents are long-term migrants and Shanghai host’s many foreigners and expats.

A global financial hub as well as the largest city by population, Shanghai is located on China’s central coast, making it an ideal location to accommodate the world’s busiest container port. The economic contribution of the city to China is significant - Shanghai’s gross domestic product contribution amounted to almost 4.7 trillion yuan in 2023. Despite recent restrictions to land made available for construction, the value of investment in real estate development in Shanghai has continued to increase. To mitigate the effects of its high population, the city has stated it will intensify environmental protection measures.