From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base
1953 Chinese census
1953 census of the population of China
1953 census of the population of China
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | First National Census |
| native_name | 第五次全国人口普查 |
| country | China |
| date | 30 June 1953 |
| next_year | 1964 |
| next_census | 1964 Chinese census |
| population | 582,603,417 |
| region_type | province |
| most_populous | Henan |
| least_populous | Tibet Autonomous Region |
The 1953 Chinese census, officially the First National Population Census of the People's Republic of China, was conducted by the People's Republic of China starting on June 30, 1953. The results were summarized in Chinese newspapers on November 1, 1954. As the full results were not published, they had to subsequently be assembled from Soviet sources over the next five years.
Results
Total population
The official summaries listed the total population of mainland China in 1953 as 582,603,417.
Demographics
13.26% of the population (77,257,282 persons) were listed as residing in urban areas comprising 163 cities,Chinese: 市, p shì. (103 locations with a population greater than 100,000 and 60 others considered to be major economic centers.) industrial and mining districts,t 工礦處, s 工矿处, p gōngkuàngchù, w kung-k'uang ch'ü. and about 1450 towns.t 鎭, s 镇, p zhèn, w chen. Of the urban population, roughly 1 in 12 resided in Shanghai.
Distribution
| City | Province/Municipality/Region/Autonomous Region | Population | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 Census | Population | ||||
| previous estimates | Numerical Change | Relative Change | |||
| Huainan | Anhui | 286,900 | |||
| Bengbu | Anhui | 253,000 | 201,000 | 52,000 | 25.87% |
| Wuhu | Anhui | 242,100 | 204,000 | 38,100 | 18.68% |
| Hefei | Anhui | 183,600 | 70,000 | 113,600 | 162.3% |
| Anqing | Anhui | 105,300 | 121,000 | 15,700 | -12.98% |
| Tunxi | Anhui | 50,000 | |||
| Hangzhou | Zhejiang | 696,600 | 518,000 | 178,600 | 34.48% |
| Ningbo | Zhejiang | 237,500 | 210,000 | 27,500 | 13.10% |
| Wenzhou | Zhejiang | 201,600 | 157,000 | 44,600 | 28.41% |
| Shaoxing | Zhejiang | 130,600 | 93,000 | 37,600 | 40.43% |
| Jiaxing | Zhejiang | 78,300 | 53,000 | 25,300 | 47.7% |
| Huzhou | Zhejiang | 62,700 | 45,000 | 17,700 | 39.3% |
| Jinhua | Zhejiang | 46,200 | 23,000 | 23,200 | 101% |
| Fuzhou | Fujian | 553,000 | 331,000 | 222,000 | 67.1% |
| Xiamen | Fujian | 224,300 | 158,000 | 66,300 | 41.96% |
| Quanzhou | Fujian | 107,700 | 121,000 | 13,300 | -10.99% |
| Zhangzhou | Fujian | 81,200 | 62,000 | 19,200 | 31.0% |
| Harbin | Municipality of Harbin | 1,163,000 | 760,000 | 403,000 | 53.03% |
| Qiqihar | Heilongjiang | 344,700 | 175,000 | 169,700 | 96.97% |
| Mudanjiang | Songjiang | 151,400 | 200,000 | 48,600 | -24.3% |
| Jiamusi | Songjiang | 146,000 | 168,000 | 18,000 | -10.7% |
| Hegang | Songjiang | 90,000 | |||
| Zhengzhou | Henan | 594,700 | 197,000 | 397,700 | 201.9% |
| Kaifeng | Henan | 299,100 | 303,000 | 3,900 | -1.29% |
| Luoyang | Henan | 171,200 | 77,000 | 94,200 | 122.3% |
| Xinxiang | Henan | 170,500 | |||
| Shangqiu | Henan | 134,400 | 70,000 | 64,400 | 92.0% |
| Anyang | Henan | 124,900 | 60,000 | 64,900 | 108.2% |
| Zhoukou | Henan | 85,500 | 200,000 | 114,500 | -57.3% |
| Xuchang | Henan | 58,000 | 50,000 | 8,000 | 16.0% |
| Nanyang | Henan | 50,000 | 50,000 | ||
| Xinyang | Henan | 50,000 | |||
| Zhumadian | Henan | ||||
| Luohe | Henan | ||||
| Beijing | Municipality of Beijing | 2,768,149 | 1,603,000 | 1,165,000 | 72.68% |
| Tianjin | Municipality of Tianjin | 2,693,831 | 1,687,000 | 1,007,000 | 59.69% |
| Tangshan | Hebei | 693,300 | 137,000 | 556,300 | 406.1% |
| Shijiazhuang | Hebei | 373,400 | 125,000 | 248,400 | 198.7% |
| Zhangjiakou | Hebei | 229,300 | 151,000 | 78,300 | 51.85% |
| Baoding | Hebei | 197,000 | 130,000 | 67,000 | 51.5% |
| Qinhuangdao | Hebei | 186,800 | 100,000 | 86,800 | 86.80% |
| Xuanhua City | Hebei | 114,100 | |||
| Chengde | Rehe | 92,900 | 60,000 | 32,900 | 54.8% |
| Hangu City | Municipality of Tianjin | 50,000 | |||
| Handan | Hebei | 50,000 | |||
| Botou（Cangzhou） | Hebei | 50,000 | |||
| Xingtai | Hebei | 50,000 | |||
| Tongzhou | Hebei | 50,000 | |||
| Changsha | Hunan | 650,600 | 396,000 | 254,600 | 64.29% |
| Hengyang | Hunan | 235,000 | 181,000 | 54,000 | 29.8% |
| Xiangtan | Hunan | 183,600 | 83,000 | 100,600 | 121.2% |
| Zhuzhou | Hunan | 127,300 | |||
| Shaoyang | Hunan | 117,700 | 76,000 | 41,700 | 54.87% |
| Changde | Hunan | 94,800 | 50,000 | 44,800 | 89.6% |
| Jinshi（Changde） | Hunan | 50,000 | 58,000 | ||
| Yiyang | Hunan | 50,000 | 80,000 | ||
| Hongjiang | Hunan | ||||
| Wuhan | Municipality of Wuhan | 1,427,300 | 1,100,000 | 327,300 | 29.73% |
| Huangshi | Hubei | 110,500 | |||
| Shashi City | Hubei | 85,800 | 114,000 | 28,200 | -24.7% |
| Xiangfan | Hubei | 73,300 | 66,000 | 7,300 | 11.1% |
| Yichang | Hubei | 50,000 | 81,000 | ||
| Baotou | Suiyuan | 149,400 | 82,000 | 67,400 | 82.2% |
| Guisui | Suiyuan | 148,400 | 110,000 | 38,400 | 34.9% |
| Ulanhot（Hinggan League） | Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region | 51,400 | |||
| Hailar（Hulunbuir Nunmoron League） | Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region | 43,200 | 16,000 | 27,200 | 170% |
| Manzhouli（Hulunbuir Nunmoron League） | Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region | ||||
| Tongliao（Jirem League） | Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region | ||||
| Lanzhou | Gansu | 387,400 | 156,000 | 231,400 | 148.3% |
| Tianshui | Gansu | 63,000 | 50,000 | 13,000 | 26% |
| Linxia City | Gansu | 50,000 | |||
| Pingliang | Gansu | 50,000 | 55,000 | ||
| Nanchang | Jiangxi | 398,200 | 267,000 | 131,200 | 49.1% |
| Ganzhou | Jiangxi | 98,600 | 59,000 | 39,600 | 67.1% |
| Jingdezhen | Jiangxi | 92,000 | 87,000 | 5,000 | 5.7% |
| Jiujiang | Jiangxi | 64,600 | 121,000 | 56,400 | -46.6% |
| Ji'an | Jiangxi | 52,800 | 69,000 | 16,200 | -23.5% |
| Shangrao | Jiangxi | 50,000 | 31,000 | ||
| Shanghai | Municipality of Shanghai | 6,204,417 | 4,300,000 | 1,900,000 | 44.2% |
| Nanjing | Jiangsu | 1,091,600 | 1,137,000 | 45,400 | -3.99% |
| Wuxi | Jiangsu | 581,500 | 273,000 | 308,500 | 113.0% |
| Suzhou | Jiangsu | 474,000 | 381,000 | 93,000 | 24.4% |
| Xuzhou | Jiangsu | 373,200 | 340,000 | 33,200 | 9.76% |
| Changzhou | Jiangsu | 296,500 | 125,000 | 171,500 | 137.2% |
| Nantong | Jiangsu | 260,400 | 133,000 | 127,400 | 95.79% |
| Xinhailian | Jiangsu | 207,600 | 48,000 | 159,600 | 332.5% |
| Zhenjiang | Jiangsu | 201,400 | 179,000 | 22,400 | 12.5% |
| Yangzhou | Jiangsu | 180,200 | 127,000 | 53,200 | 41.9% |
| Taizhou | Jiangsu | 159,800 | 131,000 | 28,800 | 22.0% |
| Changshu | Jiangsu | 101,400 | 64,000 | 37,400 | 58.4% |
| Qingjiang | Jiangsu | 77,000 | 47,000 | 30,000 | 65% |
| Changchun | Municipality of Changchun | 855,200 | 630,000 | 225,200 | 35.75% |
| Jilin | Jilin | 435,400 | 247,000 | 188,400 | 76.28% |
| Tonghua | Liaodong | 129,100 | 80,000 | 49,100 | 61.4% |
| Siping | Liaoxi | 125,900 | 76,000 | 49,900 | 65.7% |
| Liaoyuan | Liaodong | 120,100 | |||
| Yanji（Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture） | Jilin | 70,000 | 43,000 | 37,000 | 86% |
| Nanning | Guangxi | 194,900 | 203,000 | 8,100 | -4.0% |
| Liuzhou | Guangxi | 158,800 | 208,000 | 49,200 | -23.65% |
| Guilin | Guangxi | 145,100 | 142,000 | 3,100 | 2.18% |
| Wuzhou | Guangxi | 110,800 | 207,000 | 96,200 | -46.5% |
| Guangzhou | Municipality of Guangzhou | 1,598,900 | 1,413,000 | 185,900 | 13.16% |
| Shantou | Guangdong | 280,400 | 215,000 | 65,400 | 30.4% |
| Zhanjiang | Guangdong | 166,000 | 268,000 | 102,000 | -38.1% |
| Haikou | Guangdong | 135,300 | 60,000 | 75,300 | 126% |
| Foshan | Guangdong | 122,500 | 96,000 | 26,500 | 27.6% |
| Chaozhou | Guangdong | 101,300 | 59,000 | 42,300 | 71.7% |
| Jiangmen | Guangdong | 85,000 | 50,000 | 35,000 | 70% |
| Shaoguan | Guangdong | 81,700 | 73,000 | 8,700 | 11.9% |
| Beihai | Guangxi | 50,000 | 36,000 | ||
| Guiyang | Guizhou | 270,900 | 240,000 | 30,900 | 12.9% |
| Zunyi | Guizhou | 97,500 | 66,000 | 31,500 | 47.7% |
| Shenyang | Municipality of Shenyang | 2,299,900 | 1,121,000 | 1,178,900 | 105.1% |
| Dalian | Municipality of Lüda | 766,400 | 544,000 | 222,400 | 40.88% |
| Fushun | Municipality of Fushun | 678,600 | 280,000 | 398,600 | 142.4% |
| Anshan | Municipality of Anshan | 548,900 | 166,000 | 382,900 | 230.7% |
| Benxi | Municipality of Benxi | 449,000 | 98,000 | 351,000 | 358% |
| Andong | Liaodong | 360,000 | 271,000 | 89,000 | 32.8% |
| Jinzhou | Liaoxi | 352,200 | 148,000 | 104,200 | 70.4% |
| Fuxin | Liaoxi | 188,600 | 166,000 | 22,600 | 13.6% |
| Yingkou | Liaodong | 131,400 | 159,000 | 27,600 | -17.4% |
| Lüshun | Municipality of Lüda | 126,000 | 27,000 | 99,000 | 367% |
| Liaoyang | Liaodong | 100,000 | 102,000 | ||
| Yinchuan | Ningxia | 84,000 | 41,000 | 43,000 | 105% |
| Wuzhong | Ningxia | ||||
| Taiyuan | Shanxi | 720,700 | 252,000 | 468,700 | 186.0% |
| Datong | Shanxi | 228,500 | 80,000 | 148,500 | 185.6% |
| Yangquan | Shanxi | 177,400 | |||
| Changzhi | Shanxi | 97,800 | |||
| Yuci | Shanxi | 60,000 | |||
| Qingdao | Shandong | 916,800 | 788,000 | 128,800 | 16.35% |
| Jinan | Shandong | 680,100 | 575,000 | 105,100 | 18.3% |
| Zibo | Shandong | 184,200 | |||
| Weifang | Shandong | 148,900 | |||
| Jining | Shandong | 86,200 | 150,000 | 63,800 | -42.5% |
| Zhangzhou | Shandong | 50,000 | |||
| Linqing（Liaocheng） | Shandong | 50,000 | |||
| Dezhou | Shandong | ||||
| Weihai | Shandong | 175,000 | |||
| Xi'an | Municipality of Xi'an | 787,300 | 503,000 | 284,300 | 56.52% |
| Baoji | Shaanxi | 130,100 | 56,000 | 84,100 | 150% |
| Hanzhong | Shaanxi | 50,000 | 59,000 | ||
| Xianyang | Shaanxi | 50,000 | 16,000 | ||
| Dihua | Xinjiang | 140,700 | 70,000 | 70,700 | 101% |
| Qulja | Xinjiang | 108,200 | |||
| Kashgar | Xinjiang | 91,000 | 50,000 | 41,000 | 82% |
| Chongqing | Municipality of Chongqing | 1,772,500 | 1,000,000 | 772,500 | 77.3% |
| Chengdu | Sichuan | 856,700 | 648,000 | 208,700 | 32.21% |
| Zigong | Sichuan | 291,300 | 223,000 | 68,300 | 30.6% |
| Luzhou | Sichuan | 289,000 | 50,000 | 239,000 | 478% |
| Wutongqiao City | Sichuan | 199,100 | |||
| Neijiang | Sichuan | 190,200 | 32,000 | 158,200 | 494% |
| Yibin | Sichuan | 177,500 | 80,000 | 97,500 | 121.9% |
| Nanchong | Sichuan | 164,700 | 60,000 | 104,700 | 174.5% |
| Beibei | Municipality of Chongqing | 100,000 | |||
| Ya'an | Xikang | 55,200 | |||
| Wanxian | Sichuan | 50,000 | 110,000 | ||
| Hechuan | Sichuan | 50,000 | 40,000 | ||
| Lhasa | Tibet Region | 50,000 | |||
| Xining | Qinghai | 93,700 | 59,000 | 34,700 | 58.8% |
| Kunming | Yunnan | 698,900 | 300,000 | 398,900 | 133.0% |
| Gejiu | Yunnan | 159,700 | 16,000 | 143,700 | 898% |
| Xiaguan City | Yunnan | 26,200 |
Controversy
China had never previously had an official national census in the modern period and estimates of its population even in 1911 varied between 200,000,000 and 400,000,000. Mistrust of PRC statistics that saw the number of cities go from 60 under the Nationalist government to 103 within four years and that involved "indirectly survey[ing]" several areas including Tibet led some Western academics like George Cressey to claim, "These inflated figures are designed to impress the world with China's strength, to support claims for a falling death rate, or to supply an excuse for food shortages."
Notes
References
References
- (1959). "The Population of China's Cities". Geographical Review.
- ''Great Soviet Encyclopedia'', 2d ed. (Moscow), 1958. Op cit. in Shabad, supra.
- (December 1951). "Chinese Cities: Numbers and Distribution". Annals of the Association of American Geographers.
- Seltzer, L.E. (ed.) ''Columbia Lippincott Gazetteer of the World''. (New York), 1952 (Using prior surveys from 1948). Op cit. in Shabad, supra.
- (1948). "The Prewar Population of China: Distribution and Density". Annals of the Association of American Geographers.
- ''Encyclopædia Britannica''. "China". 1911.
- Cressey, George B. ''Land of the 500 Million'', p. 9. 1955. Op. cit. in Shabad, supra.
This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.
Ask Mako anything about 1953 Chinese census — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.
Research with MakoFree with your Surf account
Create a free account to save articles, ask Mako questions, and organize your research.
Sign up freeThis content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.
Report