What is the Population of Henan?

Henan is a province within the People's Republic of China that encompasses 17 prefecture-level cities and one directly administered county-level city. Over 2000 township-level divisions are making this an incredibly difficult place to survey and collect statistical information as everything must be run precisely. In the last survey conducted in 2020, there were just over 99 million inhabitants in the province - which is also estimated to have surpassed over 100 million in the current year but is still to be verified in the next census.

What is Henan?

Henan is a landlocked Chinese province that is located in the central part of the country. The province is sometimes referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou, which are both about the position of the province, and how it is found in the middle of the other provinces and territories. The Han Chinese civilization considers this their birthplace, which has over 3200 years of recorded history and has since remained the Centre of China's economic, political and cultural development until the 11th century.

Henan Province holds many heritage sites, as it is home to the fabled Shang dynast capital city of Yin. The province is also well known for its Shaolin temple, which has made its appearance in many western texts and movies. China once had 8 great capitals in its midst, with four of them being in the Henan province. The popular movement of Tai Chi began in the village of Chen Ji Gou, which was also the birthplace of the Wu and Yang styles of meditation and martial arts.

About a quarter of the province is located above the Yellow River, which is amusing, as it causes a misnomer in the name of the province. Henan means South of the River, but a considerable portion is not located there. Because of its location, Henan holds some of the most arable and fertile lands in the country. The province is China's third most populous province and is the world's seventh-most populous entity at a subnational level. If Henan was considered a sovereign nation in and of itself, it would be considered the 14th most populous country in the world, ahead of Vietnam.

Henan is the richest province when compared to the other inland economies, but is overall considered the 5th strongest economy in China, with a nominal GDP f about 925 billion USD, more than the entire GDP of the country of Turkey. This does not mean that people live in luxury, as the per capita income is extremely low comparatively.

Interesting Facts About Henan

Henan is situated north and south of the Yellow River, which housed some of the oldest civilizations that invented their style of pottery, writing, and music. 16 sites are protected by the state in Henan, as it is culturally and historically important to the Chinese identity. 267 historical sites are protected at the provincial level. One of the most important structures is the Gaocheng Astronomical Observatory, which is the oldest one of its kind in China.

Henan Population 2024