China’s urbanization at a turning point—challenges and opportunities

Authors: Xuemei Bai, Peijun Shi

Published: 2025-05-20

DOI: 10.1126/science.adw3443

Source: Full article


Abstract

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, China’s urbanization ratio (i.e., the share of population living in urban areas) reached 67% in 2024, maintaining a pace of over 1 percentage point increase per year over the past 45 years. Strongly driven by national policy, such extraordinary speed and scale are described as