We ask Chinese respondents which region and also which specific city they live in. We then classify the cities into their respective tiers, allowing clients to use this segmentation as an additional way of analyzing our Chinese data. The list of cities shown to respondents depends on the region they’re in, and an “Other” option is available for those who don’t live in or near any of the options.
There’s no universal agreement on which cities fall into which tiers and with many Chinese cities growing rapidly in size, it’s common for a city’s classification to change. With this in mind, until Q4 2024 we worked with local experts on how to classify these cities. As of Q1 2025, we’ve updated this segmentation to align with China's City Tier System published from Yicai (formerly branded as China Business Network), in 2024. We’ve detailed the results below.
We regularly review and update our tier classifications. Here’s how they currently look:
Region | City | Tier |
Anhui |
|
|
| Anqing | 3 |
| Bengbu | 3 |
| Bozhou | 4 |
| Chizhou | 5 |
| Chuzhou | 3 |
| Fuyang | 3 |
| Hefei | 1 |
| Huaibei | 4 |
| Huainan | 4 |
| Huangshan | 4 |
| Lu’an | 4 |
| Ma’anshan | 4 |
| Suzhou | 4 |
| Tongling | 4 |
| Wuhu | 3 |
| Xuancheng | 4 |
Fujian |
|
|
| Fuzhou | 2 |
| Longyan | 4 |
| Nanping | 4 |
| Ningde | 3 |
| Putian | 3 |
| Quanzhou | 2 |
| Sanming | 4 |
| Xiamen | 2 |
| Zhangzhou | 3 |
Gansu |
|
|
| Baiyin | 5 |
| Dingxi | 5 |
| Jiayuguan | 5 |
| Jinchang | 5 |
| Jiuquan | 5 |
| Lanzhou | 3 |
| Longnan | 5 |
| Pingliang | 5 |
| Qingyang | 5 |
| Tianshui | 5 |
| Wuwei | 5 |
| Zhangye | 5 |
Guangdong |
|
|
| Chaozhou | 3 |
| Dongguan | 1 |
| Foshan | 2 |
| Guangzhou | 1 |
| Heyuan | 4 |
| Huizhou | 2 |
| Jiangmen | 3 |
| Jieyang | 3 |
| Maoming | 4 |
| Meizhou | 4 |
| Qingyuan | 3 |
| Shantou | 3 |
| Shanwei | 4 |
| Shaoguan | 4 |
| Shenzhen | 1 |
| Yangjiang | 4 |
| Yunfu | 5 |
| Zhanjiang | 3 |
| Zhaoqing | 3 |
| Zhongshan | 2 |
| Zhuhai | 2 |
Guangxi |
|
|
| Baise | 5 |
| Beihai | 4 |
| Chongzuo | 5 |
| Fangchenggang | 5 |
| Guigang | 5 |
| Guilin | 3 |
| Hechi | 5 |
| Hezhou | 5 |
| Laibin | 5 |
| Liuzhou | 3 |
| Nanning | 2 |
| Qinzhou | 5 |
| Wuzhou | 5 |
| Yulin | 4 |
Guizhou |
|
|
| Anshun | 5 |
| Bijie | 4 |
| Guiyang | 2 |
| Liupanshui | 5 |
| Tongren | 4 |
| Zunyi | 3 |
Hainan |
|
|
| Danzhou | 5 |
| Haikou | 3 |
| Sansha | 5 |
| Sanya | 3 |
Jing-Jin-Ji |
|
|
| Baoding | 2 |
| Beijing | 1 |
| Cangzhou | 3 |
| Chengde | 4 |
| Handan | 3 |
| Hengshui | 4 |
| Langfang | 3 |
| Qinhuangdao | 4 |
| Sanhe | 5 |
| Shijiazhuang | 2 |
| Tangshan | 3 |
| Tianjin | 1 |
| Xianghe | 5 |
| Xingtai | 3 |
| Zhangjiakou | 4 |
| Zhuozhou | 5 |
Heilongjian |
|
|
| Daqing | 4 |
| Harbin | 2 |
| Hegang | 5 |
| Heihe | 5 |
| Jiamusi | 4 |
| Jixi | 5 |
| Mudanjiang | 4 |
| Qiqihar | 4 |
| Qitaihe | 5 |
| Shuangyashan | 5 |
| Suihua | 5 |
| Yichun | 6 |
Henan |
|
|
| Anyang | 3 |
| Hebi | 5 |
| Jiaozuo | 4 |
| Kaifeng | 4 |
| Luohe | 4 |
| Luoyang | 3 |
| Nanyang | 3 |
| Pingdingshan | 4 |
| Puyang | 4 |
| Sanmenxia | 5 |
| Shangqiu | 3 |
| Xinxiang | 3 |
| Xinyang | 3 |
| Xuchang | 4 |
| Zhengzhou | 1 |
| Zhoukou | 3 |
| Zhumadian | 3 |
Hubei |
|
|
| Ezhou | 4 |
| Huanggang | 3 |
| Huangshi | 4 |
| Jingmen | 4 |
| Jingzhou | 3 |
| Shiyan | 4 |
| Suizhou | 5 |
| Wuhan | 1 |
| Xiangyang | 3 |
| Xianning | 4 |
| Xiaogan | 4 |
| Yichang | 3 |
Hunan |
|
|
| Changde | 3 |
| Changsha | 1 |
| Chenzhou | 4 |
| Hengyang | 3 |
| Huaihua | 4 |
| Loudi | 4 |
| Shaoyang | 4 |
| Xiangtan | 4 |
| Yiyang | 4 |
| Yongzhou | 4 |
| Yueyang | 3 |
| Zhangjiajie | 5 |
| Zhuzhou | 3 |
Inner Mongolia |
|
|
| Baotou | 4 |
| Bayannur | 5 |
| Chifeng | 4 |
| Hohhot | 3 |
| Hulunbuir | 5 |
| Ordos | 4 |
| Tongliao | 5 |
| Ulanqab | 5 |
| Wuhai | 5 |
Jiangsu |
|
|
| Changzhou | 2 |
| Huai’an | 3 |
| Lianyungang | 3 |
| Nanjing | 1 |
| Nantong | 2 |
| Suqian | 3 |
| Suzhou | 1 |
| Taizhou | 3 |
| Wuxi | 2 |
| Xuzhou | 2 |
| Yancheng | 3 |
| Yangzhou | 3 |
| Zhenjiang | 3 |
Jiangxi |
|
|
| Fuzhou | 3 |
| Ganzhou | 3 |
| Ji’an | 4 |
| Jingdezhen | 4 |
| Jiujiang | 3 |
| Nanchang | 2 |
| Pingxiang | 5 |
| Shangrao | 3 |
| Xinyu | 5 |
| Yichun | 4 |
| Yingtan | 5 |
Jilin |
|
|
| Baicheng | 5 |
| Baishan | 5 |
| Changchun | 2 |
| Jilln | 4 |
| Liaoyuan | 5 |
| Siping | 5 |
| Songyuan | 5 |
| Tonghua | 5 |
Liaoning |
|
|
| Anshan | 4 |
| Benxi | 5 |
| Chaoyang | 5 |
| Dalian | 2 |
| Dandong | 5 |
| Fushun | 5 |
| Fuxin | 5 |
| Huludao | 5 |
| Jinzhou | 4 |
| Liaoyang | 5 |
| Panjin | 4 |
| Shenyang | 2 |
| Tieling | 5 |
| Yingkou | 4 |
Ningxia |
|
|
| Guyuan | 5 |
| Shizuishan | 5 |
| Wuzhong | 5 |
| Yinchuan | 3 |
| Zhongwei | 5 |
Qinghai |
|
|
| Haidong | 5 |
| Xining | 4 |
Shaanxi |
|
|
| Ankang | 5 |
| Baoji | 4 |
| Hanzhong | 4 |
| Shangluo | 5 |
| Tongchuan | 5 |
| Weinan | 3 |
| Xi’an | 1 |
| Xianyang | 3 |
| Yan’an | 5 |
| Yulin | 3 |
Shandong |
|
|
| Binzhou | 4 |
| Dezhou | 3 |
| Dongying | 4 |
| Heze | 3 |
| Jinan | 2 |
| Jining | 3 |
| Laiwu | 6 |
| Liaocheng | 3 |
| Linyi | 2 |
| Qingdao | 1 |
| Rizhao | 4 |
| Tai’an | 3 |
| Weifang | 2 |
| Weihai | 3 |
| Yantai | 2 |
| Zaozhuang | 4 |
| Zibo | 3 |
Shanxi |
|
|
| Changzhi | 4 |
| Datong | 4 |
| Jincheng | 5 |
| Jinzhong | 4 |
| Linfen | 4 |
| Lüliang | 5 |
| Shuozhou | 5 |
| Taiyuan | 2 |
| Xinzhou | 5 |
| Yangquan | 5 |
| Yuncheng | 4 |
Sichuan |
|
|
| Bazhong | 5 |
| Chengdu | 1 |
| Dazhou | 4 |
| Deyang | 4 |
| Guang’an | 5 |
| Guangyuan | 5 |
| Leshan | 4 |
| Luzhou | 4 |
| Meishan | 4 |
| Mianyang | 3 |
| Nanchong | 3 |
| Neijiang | 4 |
| Panzhihua | 5 |
| Suining | 4 |
| Ya’an | 5 |
| Yibin | 4 |
| Zigong | 5 |
| Ziyang | 5 |
Tibet |
|
|
| Chamdo / Chengdu | 6 |
| Lhasa | 5 |
| Nyingchi | 5 |
| Shannan | 5 |
| Shigatse / Xigaze | 5 |
Xinjiang |
|
|
| Aksu | 5 |
| Altay | 5 |
| Hami | 5 |
| Karamay | 5 |
| Kashgar | 5 |
| Turpan | 5 |
| Urumqi | 3 |
Yunnan |
|
|
| Baoshan | 5 |
| Kunming | 1 |
| Lincang | 5 |
| Lijiang | 5 |
| Pu’er | 5 |
| Quijing | 4 |
| Yuxi | 5 |
| Zhaotong | 5 |
Zhejiang |
|
|
| Hangzhou | 1 |
| Huzhou | 3 |
| Jiaxing | 2 |
| Jinhua | 2 |
| Lishui | 4 |
| Ningbo | 1 |
| Quzhou | 4 |
| Shaoxing | 2 |
| Taizhou | 2 |
| Wenzhou | 2 |
| Zhoushan | 4 |
Municipalities |
|
|
| Chongqing | 1 |
| Shanghai | 1 |
Special Administrative Region |
|
|
| Macau | 5 |