Shanghai in numbers

Shanghai is located on the west coast of the Pacific, at the mouth of the Yangtze River, the longest river in China and in the middle of China's coastline. The coastal position makes Shanghai a link between China's inland regions and the outside world, and it is unique with both eastern and western cultures.

With a history of more than 700 years, Shanghai was once the financial center of the Far East. Since the reforms of China, especially the 1990s when Shanghai seized the historical opportunity to develop Pudong, great changes have taken place in the city in terms of the national economy, social undertaking and city appearance.

As of the end of 2018, Shanghai has a land area of 6,340.5 square kilometers, a permanent population of 24.24 million, and a total of 215,000 foreigners living in the city with work visas. The municipality is the largest economic center in China and also a major port with per capita GDP reaching 135,000 yuan in 2018.

The city continues to open up to foreign investment and trade. By the end of 2018, Shanghai had absorbed investment from 182 countries and regions, registered 670 regional headquarters, 360 investment firms and 441 R&D centers set up by multinational companies. Shanghai Port handled 730.48 million tons of cargos in 2018, including 42.01 million TEUs, or twenty-foot equivalent units, an industry measure of cargo capacity.

By the end of 2017, Shanghai had established sister-city relationship with 85 cities (provinces, states, regions, prefectures, counties or districts) in 57 countries and 75 countries had set up consulates in Shanghai, making the city a dynamic hub of people, trade, capital, technology and information.

Shanghai people are hardworking, intelligent and known for their hospitality. You are more than welcome to tour or invest in the city. Here you can see Shanghai as a city prosperous in the past, vigorous in the moment and promising in the future.

According to the new round of urban development master plan, the municipal government is working hard towards building Shanghai into an international modern metropolis and a global economic, financial, trading and shipping center by 2020.