Adult population flows into highlands, with a population growth of over 1 million in 15 new first tier cities
According to a journalist from First Financial News, in 2022, the total new population of 15 new first tier cities reached 1.0949 million, becoming a key focus of population growth.
According to the 2023 City Commercial Charm Ranking released by the First Financial · New First tier City Research Institute on May 30, 2023, the 15 new first tier cities on this list are Chengdu, Chongqing, Hangzhou, Wuhan, Suzhou, Xi'an, Nanjing, Changsha, Tianjin, Zhengzhou, Dongguan, Qingdao, Kunming, Ningbo, and Hefei.
Data shows that among the 15 new first tier cities, 3 cities have a total GDP exceeding 2 trillion yuan. Among them, Chongqing, the municipality directly under the central government, ranked first. Data shows that in 2022, Chongqing achieved a regional GDP of 2912.903 billion yuan, an increase of 2.6% compared to the same period last year. Among all cities, Chongqing surpassed the first tier city Guangzhou by approximately 29 billion yuan, ranking fourth.
After Chongqing, it is the "most impressive prefecture level city" in Suzhou, with a GDP of 2395.83 billion yuan in 2022. As a major manufacturing city, Suzhou completed a total industrial output value of 4364.27 billion yuan for the entire year last year, an increase of 4.1% compared to the previous year. The electronic information industry and equipment manufacturing industry, two trillion level industries, achieved a production value of 2659.72 billion yuan, an increase of 7.1%, becoming an important support for the stable operation of the industrial economy.
Chengdu achieved a new breakthrough in GDP in 2022, reaching 2081.75 billion yuan, surpassing the 2 trillion yuan mark for the first time. After Chengdu, Wuhan and Hangzhou are both worth 1886.643 billion yuan and 1875.3 billion yuan, respectively, and are expected to exceed 2 trillion yuan this year. In addition, both Tianjin and Ningbo have exceeded 1.5 trillion yuan. In terms of GDP, the total GDP of 15 new first tier cities reached 24.45 trillion yuan, accounting for 20.2% of the national total.
In terms of population, the total population of 15 new first tier cities last year was 199 million, accounting for 14.1% of the national population. By city, out of the 15 new first tier cities, 11 have a population of over 10 million, with Chongqing, Chengdu, and Wuhan ranking in the top three.
Against the backdrop of a decrease of 850000 people in the national population last year, the population growth of 15 new first tier cities reached 1.0949 million people. Overall, new first tier cities have become a highland for population inflow in China.
Looking at cities, out of the 15 new first tier cities, 13 cities saw an increase in permanent population last year, with 12 cities having a permanent population increase of over 60000. According to statistics from First Financial Journalists, last year there were 15 cities in China with a population increase of over 60000 people, and 80% of them were new first tier cities.
According to Niu Fengrui, an expert in urban research and director of the Small and Medium sized City Research Institute, the energy agglomeration of new first tier cities has reached a certain level, and their wage and income levels are also rapidly increasing. There are more job opportunities, and education and medical resources are also very good, which is very attractive to many young people. In addition, due to the high cost of living pressure such as housing prices in first tier cities, competition is fierce, which also makes many young people want to develop in new first tier cities.
Among them, Changsha, Hangzhou, Hefei, and Xi'an, the four new first tier cities, rank among the top four in terms of population growth among all cities in the country. Data shows that the population growth of Changsha reached 181300 people last year, ranking first in the country.
From an industrial perspective, Changsha's equipment manufacturing, culture, medicine, and other industries are very prominent. Taking the equipment manufacturing industry as an example, in recent years, Changsha has seen the emergence of star equipment manufacturing enterprises such as Sany Heavy Industry, Zoomlion Heavy Industry, Shanhe Intelligence, and China Railway Construction Heavy Industry, known as the "Capital of Mechanical Engineering in the World". In terms of cultural industry, Changsha has emerged as a popular city on the internet, and the cultural and entertainment industry is very prosperous. Combined with Changsha's relatively good educational, medical, and cultural resources, as well as its lower housing prices, Changsha has attracted a large influx of people from surrounding areas.
After Changsha, Hangzhou, the "e-commerce capital", had a population growth of 172000 people last year, ranking second. Tang Hairu, Vice Chairman of the Expert Committee of the Hangzhou Planning Commission, analyzed that overall, Hangzhou has a good foundation for development, especially with great potential for digital economy, which has attracted more talents to come to Hangzhou for development.
Currently, Hangzhou is vigorously attracting young people. Recently, Hangzhou released the "Hangzhou Future · Three Year Action Plan for College Students' Innovation and Entrepreneurship", proposing that by 2025, the city will gather 1 million college students under the age of 35 to come to Hangzhou for employment and entrepreneurship, striving to reach 1.2 million. Among them, living allowances will be provided to global undergraduate and above graduates who meet the conditions to work in Hangzhou, including 10000 yuan for undergraduate, 30000 yuan for master's, and 100000 yuan for doctoral degrees.
Hefei ranks third in terms of population growth. The data shows that the permanent population of Hefei in 2022 was 9.634 million, an increase of 169000 people or 1.79% compared to the previous year; The proportion of the province is 15.72%, an increase of 0.24 percentage points from the previous year. From the perspective of growth mode, the permanent population is still mainly driven by migration growth. In 2022, the migration growth of Hefei City reached 135000 people, driving a year-on-year increase of 1.4 percentage points in the total population.
In recent years, the population of Hefei has maintained a rapid growth momentum, and in the coming years, the permanent resident population of Hefei will exceed 10 million. According to Lin Fei, a researcher at the Anhui Academy of Social Sciences, the population growth and industrial development in Hefei are closely related. In recent years, the overall development strategy of Hefei has been relatively clear, accurately grasping the laws of industrial development. On the one hand, it has done a good job in clustering and upgrading existing industries, and on the other hand, it has vigorously developed emerging industries, including new energy vehicles, integrated circuits, photovoltaics, and other emerging industries.
According to the 2023 Hefei Municipal Government Work Report, last year the city added 14 national level incubators and maker spaces, ranking sixth among provincial capital cities, and cultivated over 8200 national technology-based small and medium-sized enterprises, with a growth rate of nearly 70%. Hefei has become one of the cities with the highest risk tolerance for angel funds and seed funds in China. In 2022, Hefei will introduce 127 high-level talent teams, with 55000 newly added skilled talents and over 300000 newly recruited college students.
The population growth of Xi'an has also reached 122900 people. In addition, the population of Kunming and Wuhan both exceeded 90000, the population growth of Zhengzhou and Qingdao exceeded 80000, and the population growth of Chengdu and Ningbo exceeded 70000.
Peng Peng, Executive Chairman of the Guangdong Provincial Association for Economic Reform Research, analyzed the First Financial Times that the economic development of new first tier cities has been very fast in the past decade, becoming a new engine for regional economic development. Economic development is very fast, which means there are many opportunities and new job opportunities, which is also an important factor in attracting talent inflows. In addition, the high housing prices and high living pressure in first tier cities have led to lower living costs in new first tier cities, which has also led many people to choose new first tier cities.
At the same time, the rise of new first tier cities can also largely assume some of the functions of first tier cities, leading and driving the development of regional economy, and playing a very important role in promoting coordinated regional development.
