The Population of China’s Provinces Compared

[Mie1]

China is the world’s most populous nation. That much anybody knows.

But even if we know a bit more (that the number of Chinese is around 1.32 billion, which is just under 20% of all humans alive today), that figure is still too big to mean much beyond that China is ‘number one’.

The attached map compares the population of China’s provinces (plus the ‘renegade province’ of Taiwan), autonomous regions and municipalities with those of whole countries, and thus helps shed some light on that issue.

Here, for easy reference, is a list in descending order of magnitude of those Chinese territories (their population in brackets) followed by the foreign country they compare to.

• Guangdong (113 million) Germany plus Uganda (3)
• Henan (99 million) Mexico
• Shandong (92 million) Philippines
• Sichuan (87 million) Vietnam
• Jiangsu (75 million) Egypt
• Hebei (68 million) Iran
• Hunan (67 million) France
• Anhui (65 million) Thailand
• Hubei (60 million) U.K.
• Guangxi (49 million) Burma/Myanmar
• Zhejiang (47 million) South Africa
• Yunnan (44 million) Colombia
• Jiangxi (43 million) Tanzania
• Liaoning (42 million) Argentina
• Guizhou (39 million) Sudan
• Heilongjiang (38 million) Poland
• Shaanxi (37 million) Kenya
• Fujian (35 million) Algeria
• Shanxi (33 million) Canada
• Chongqing (31 million) Morocco
• Jilin (27 million) Afghanistan
• Gansu (26 million) Saudi Arabia
• Inner Mongolia (24 million) North Korea
• Taiwan (23 million) Yemen
• Xinjiang (20 million) Madagascar
• Shanghai (18 million) Cameroon
• Beijing (16 million) Angola
• Tianjin (12 million) Cuba
• Hainan (8 million) Austria
• Hong Kong (7 million) El Salvador
• Ningxia (6 million) Sierra Leone
• Qinghai (5 million) Slovakia
• Tibet (3 million) Jamaica
• Macau (0,5 million) Cape Verde

Some obvious conclusions (from a non-expert, non-Chinese point of view):
Most of China’s main administrative subdivisions are literally unheard-of in the rest of the world, save for some obvious exceptions like Tibet, Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong.

The names of some provinces sound especially indistinguishable (or at least are rather indistinct to western ears): Hebei and Hubei; Shanxi and neighbouring Shaanxi; not to mention Jiangxi and Guangxi; or Hainan, Hunan and Henan.

The well-known pattern of heavy population density on the coast and lesser density inland belies the fact that even in the most far-flung provinces, the populations are not exactly tiny (Xinjiang: 20 million, Inner Mongolia: 24 million), Heilongjiang: 38 million, Yunnan: 44 million), except in Qinghai (5 million) and Tibet (3 million).


Strange Maps

[Comrade007]

Very interesting figures indeed - the numbers are stupendous- difficult to get one's head around. Some of the Chinese provinces fit numerous times into our country space-wise, and yet are so densely populated. Of course some of these millions of Chinese are very welcome here in Namibia IF they stick to the laws and rules like everyone else is supposed to, and IF they get their work permits, identitiy cards, etc. etc. legally and IF if Chinese companies fulfill the letter and spirit of the Labour Act (and all other laws) like every other foreign-owned company is supposed to do and hoepfully does. There is too much talk these days about Chinese companies flouting tender regulations, obtaining work permits in dubious ways, buying influence with officials, not paying the minimum wage, etc. Of course it is not all of them, but Namibians should be watchful. I am not a China-basher, but you can just imagine the clout and pressure China can exert on small countries on account of its economic muscle and size and promise of this or that - witness all the deals in Zimbabwe that never got off the ground,and the flood of cheap Chinese imports flooding the markets of our neighbours at the cost of our small, local manufacturing industries.