Tianjin's 2026 population is now estimated at 12,361,093. In 1990, the population of Tianjin was 4,719,558. Tianjin has grown by 218,115 in the last year, which represents a 1.8% annual change. These population values and projections come from China city population series 1990-2020 via CityPopulation official attribution and World Population Review Internal Projections .
Tianjin is a city located in China, located along the northern coast. The metropolis is the largest coastal city in the country, and it is one of four municipalities and one of five of China’s national central cities. As of 2016, there is a metro population of 11.558 million.
The metro population of Tianjin is 11,558,000. Within the city, the population is just over 1 million. Tianjin is the largest port in the north, which has led to its role as a major trade center.
The city of Tianjin covers an expansive surface area of 11,946 kilometers squared (4,612 square miles). The population density is climbing upwards of 1,300 people living per square kilometer (3,400 residents per square mile).
Tianjin’s urban population is the 4th largest in China, coming in behind Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou. As of 2015, the municipality has a population of over 15 million. According to data from 2009, almost 10 million people in Tianjin were permanent residents. The majority of residents live in the urban area, which has seen rapid growth over the last few years. Tianjin is split into 15 districts and three counties.
In 1953, the municipality had a population of 2.6 million. Between 1953 and 1982, the population increased to 7.7 million, a 188.2% increase. Just eight years later, the population exceeded 8.7 million, and in 2000, the population almost reached 10 million. 2010 saw an increase to almost 13 million, while the last estimates from 2015 show that the municipality population has surpassed 15 million.
Over 97% of people in Tianjin are Han Chinese. Minority groups in the city include Koreans, Manchu, Zhuang, Hui and Tuija. Fifty-one out of the total 55 minor Chinese ethnic groups have settled in Tianjin. Indigenous religions prevail in the city. Tianjin is tolerant of other religions, including Catholicism and Buddhism. About 1.5% of the area practices Christianity, and there are also a large amount of Muslims, as Tianjin has been called “a strong center of Islam.”
The nominal GDP of Tianjin as documented in 2009 was $54.4 million. The manufacturing sector is the largest industry in the area, as well as the fastest growing. Other major industries include textiles, auto manufacturing, metalworking and petrochemical.
Sedimentation from rivers entering the Bohai Bay led to the development of the land that is now known as Tianjin. During the Sui Dynasty, the opening of the Grand Canal of China led to the development of Tianjin as a major port in China.
Tianjin was once known as Zhigu, but the name was changed to Tianjin, or “Heaven Ford” in 1404. In 1858, the signing of the Treaties of Tianjin opened the city to foreign trade. In 1927, Tianjin was designated as a municipality of China.
Communist forces took over the city in 1949, and the city remained a municipality, with the exception of the period between 1958 and 1967 when it was demoted to the capital of Hebei, another province in China. Economic reforms were put into place during the 1970s, which led to rapid development of the city.
Tianjin has seen rapid growth in past decades, and according to future forecasts, growth will remain steady for the area. 2016’s population of 11.5 million is expected to increase to 12.8 million in 2020. By 2030, the population is expected to exceed 14.6 million by 2030.
| City | 2026 Pop. ↓ | Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Shanghai | 24,722,254 | 1.93% |
| Beijing | 21,571,693 | 2.06% |
| Shenzhen | 20,622,629 | 2.64% |
| Guangzhou | 18,515,410 | 2.23% |
| Chengdu | 15,831,571 | 2.44% |
| Tianjin | 12,361,093 | 1.8% |
| Wuhan | 11,746,708 | 1.81% |
| Dongguan | 11,485,606 | 2.74% |
| Chongqing | 10,933,060 | 2.1% |
| Xi'an | 10,738,037 | 2.13% |
| Hangzhou | 10,697,657 | 2.33% |
| Foshan | 10,673,812 | 2.61% |
| Nanjing | 8,562,383 | 2.07% |
| Shenyang | 7,701,267 | 1.48% |
| Zhengzhou | 7,487,991 | 2.34% |
| Qingdao | 7,080,465 | 2.2% |
| Suzhou | 6,911,912 | 2.52% |
| Changsha | 6,494,068 | 2.27% |
| Jinan | 6,436,275 | 2.08% |
| Kunming | 6,061,121 | 2.21% |
| Hefei | 5,930,446 | 2.52% |
| Shijiazhuang | 5,869,423 | 2.26% |
| Harbin | 5,760,502 | 1.52% |
| Dalian | 5,521,027 | 1.87% |
| Xiamen | 5,471,952 | 2.67% |
| Nanning | 5,320,113 | 2.36% |
| Changchun | 5,110,411 | 1.84% |
| Taiyuan | 4,831,308 | 1.85% |
| Guiyang | 4,588,310 | 2.1% |
| Wuxi | 4,582,705 | 2.33% |
| Zhongshan | 4,541,011 | 2.63% |
| Urumqi | 4,385,217 | 2.11% |
| Ningbo | 4,320,326 | 2.33% |
| Fuzhou | 4,269,451 | 2.18% |
| Shantou | 4,249,275 | 1.64% |
| Nanchang | 4,027,247 | 2.15% |
| Changzhou | 3,711,170 | 2.41% |
| Nantong | 3,474,235 | 2.39% |
| Huizhou | 3,412,671 | 2.57% |
| Lanzhou | 3,354,151 | 1.73% |
| Xuzhou | 3,247,552 | 2.11% |
| Linyi | 3,211,011 | 2.49% |
| Zibo | 3,125,463 | 2.04% |
| Wenzhou | 3,030,849 | 2.53% |
| Tangshan | 2,841,172 | 1.74% |
| Haikou | 2,727,405 | 2.37% |
| Hohhot | 2,715,016 | 2.14% |
| Shaoxing | 2,713,087 | 2.39% |
| Yantai | 2,684,197 | 2.37% |
| Zhuhai | 2,574,666 | 2.44% |
| Luoyang | 2,521,653 | 1.96% |
| Liuzhou | 2,508,650 | 2.06% |
| Handan | 2,408,684 | 2.22% |
| Yangzhou | 2,389,666 | 2.3% |
| Baotou | 2,323,692 | 1.6% |
| Weifang | 2,287,356 | 2.15% |
| Baoding | 2,214,667 | 2.11% |
| Huai'an | 2,110,834 | 2.48% |
| Ganzhou | 2,086,733 | 2.53% |
| Jiangmen | 2,086,560 | 2.38% |
| Datong | 1,987,839 | 1.52% |
| Kunshan | 1,973,206 | 2.79% |
| Zunyi | 1,932,724 | 2.27% |
| Yinchuan | 1,928,110 | 2.35% |
| Xiangyang | 1,920,516 | 2.07% |
| Xining | 1,881,962 | 1.85% |
| Jining | 1,850,655 | 1.37% |
| Wuhu | 1,834,285 | 2.19% |
| Putian | 1,821,529 | 2.65% |
| Mianyang | 1,790,980 | 2.3% |
| Daqing | 1,776,920 | 1.65% |
| Yiwu | 1,746,582 | 2.6% |
| Qinhuangdao | 1,744,875 | 2.19% |
| Taizhou | 1,729,645 | 2.41% |
| Quanzhou | 1,725,800 | 2.54% |
| Xingtai | 1,712,952 | 2.31% |
| Zhuzhou | 1,711,295 | 2% |
| Cixi | 1,705,623 | 2.48% |
| Jinjiang | 1,694,964 | 2.82% |
| Nanyang | 1,632,090 | 2.35% |
| Tai'an | 1,616,764 | 2.11% |
| Jilin | 1,585,983 | 0.81% |
| Shangrao | 1,583,656 | 2.61% |
| Zhanjiang | 1,577,776 | 1.91% |
| Jiangyin | 1,575,170 | 2.65% |
| Yancheng | 1,556,374 | 2.22% |
| Weihai | 1,554,203 | 2.36% |
| Taizhou | 1,550,745 | 2.22% |
| Zaozhuang | 1,544,258 | 2.14% |
| Guilin | 1,538,844 | 1.96% |
| Anshan | 1,531,601 | 0.56% |
| Maoming | 1,491,028 | 2.09% |
| Zhangjiakou | 1,479,923 | 1.61% |
| Heze | 1,475,478 | 2.1% |
| Chaozhou | 1,452,592 | 2.33% |
| Jieyang | 1,452,295 | 2.46% |
| Yichang | 1,452,027 | 1.96% |
| Changshu | 1,447,575 | 2.56% |
| Nanchong | 1,433,721 | 2.13% |
| Xinxiang | 1,427,659 | 1.86% |
| Qingyuan | 1,416,880 | 2.65% |
| Jiaxing | 1,383,109 | 2.4% |
| Fuyang | 1,383,005 | 2.36% |
| Huainan | 1,361,846 | 1.32% |
| Xianyang | 1,345,027 | 1.92% |
| Anyang | 1,336,053 | 1.88% |
| Kaifeng | 1,332,913 | 1.77% |
| Hengyang | 1,325,705 | 1.8% |
| Dazhou | 1,325,313 | 2.44% |
| Rizhao | 1,325,199 | 2.29% |
| Luzhou | 1,286,949 | 2.1% |
| Suqian | 1,280,787 | 2.66% |
| Zhenjiang | 1,278,222 | 2.05% |
| Yueyang | 1,277,946 | 2.03% |
| Yibin | 1,261,709 | 2.17% |
| Zhangjiagang | 1,255,134 | 2.72% |
| Changde | 1,254,536 | 2.09% |
| Huzhou | 1,251,744 | 2.29% |
| Baoji | 1,248,457 | 1.92% |
| Lu'an | 1,244,413 | 2.39% |
| Chifeng | 1,240,315 | 2.02% |
| Lianyungang | 1,221,093 | 2.09% |
| Fushun | 1,215,614 | -0.18% |
| Jinhua | 1,211,434 | 2.4% |
| Bengbu | 1,197,039 | 1.69% |
| Shangqiu | 1,196,775 | 2.36% |
| Yuyao | 1,183,899 | 2.45% |
| Rui'an | 1,181,327 | 2.44% |
| Changzhi | 1,177,708 | 1.88% |
| Zhaoqing | 1,177,389 | 2.05% |
| Xinyang | 1,175,268 | 2.33% |
| Liaocheng | 1,172,346 | 2.21% |
| Pingdingshan | 1,154,625 | 1.59% |
| Qujing | 1,138,594 | 2.44% |
| Jinzhou | 1,109,015 | 1.33% |
| Nan'an | 1,106,923 | 2.63% |
| Puning | 1,104,199 | 2.61% |
| Dongying | 1,092,627 | 2.04% |
| Tengzhou | 1,091,187 | 2.4% |
| Panjin | 1,090,457 | 1.71% |
| Yueqing | 1,089,512 | 2.19% |
| Jiujiang | 1,088,544 | 2.05% |
| Guigang | 1,084,994 | 2.58% |
| Xiangtan | 1,083,681 | 1.65% |
| Shiyan | 1,078,127 | 1.94% |
| Wenling | 1,064,904 | 2.31% |
| Liuyang | 1,053,117 | 2.71% |
| Suzhou | 1,051,120 | 2.11% |
| Jingzhou | 1,046,117 | 1.55% |
| Yixing | 1,035,678 | 2.4% |
| Hengshui | 1,030,124 | 2.4% |
| Qiqihar | 1,028,891 | -0.01% |
| Langfang | 1,026,427 | 2.33% |
| Yulin | 1,013,931 | 2.29% |
| Pizhou | 1,006,556 | 2.65% |
| Xuchang | 977,783 | 2.22% |
| Zhangzhou | 975,922 | 2.28% |
| Dezhou | 969,233 | 2.21% |
| Suining | 966,024 | 2.41% |
| Jiaozuo | 964,708 | 1.58% |
| Yangjiang | 962,285 | 1.81% |
| Zigong | 960,978 | 1.63% |
| Chenzhou | 949,612 | 2.33% |
| Puyang | 946,565 | 2.2% |
| Luohe | 945,433 | 2.49% |
| Huaibei | 941,507 | 2% |
| Xinzheng | 931,063 | 2.64% |
| Danyang | 928,260 | 2.5% |
| Leshan | 907,524 | 1.96% |
| Ningxiang | 906,498 | 2.79% |
| Sanhe | 902,355 | 2.7% |
| Rugao | 898,514 | 2.6% |
| Qinzhou | 895,901 | 2.38% |
| Shaoguan | 893,450 | 1.71% |
| Zhuji | 885,542 | 2.36% |
| Zhumadian | 879,030 | 2.42% |
| Ma'anshan | 876,044 | 1.77% |
| Fuqing | 872,088 | 2.49% |
| Bozhou | 866,901 | 2.29% |
| Haining | 865,999 | 2.23% |
| Xintai | 865,020 | 1.77% |
| Cangzhou | 862,758 | 2.04% |
| Yiyang | 859,991 | 2.01% |
| Mudanjiang | 858,142 | 0.98% |
| Tianshui | 855,539 | 2.04% |
| Laiwu | 851,698 | 1.8% |
| Zoucheng | 851,319 | 1.9% |
| Xiaogan | 850,542 | 2.16% |
| Huludao | 845,196 | 1.62% |
| Xiantao | 836,056 | 1.7% |
| Benxi | 825,423 | 0.35% |
| Liaoyang | 819,706 | 1.14% |
| Dandong | 791,551 | 0.9% |
| Lhasa | 657,317 | 2.29% |
| Jixi | 616,668 | -0.25% |
