As of 2025, the real-time population residing in Guangdong Province is around 165 million. Looking globally, this exceeds Russia’s national population of 144 million, ranking ninth in the world. Even when counting only the permanent residents, Guangdong’s approximately 129 million surpasses Japan’s population of 123 million.
In 2024, the real-time population in Guangdong was about 150 million. In just two years, it increased by another 15 million. The popularity of Guangdong continues to rise, rightfully earning the title of China’s most populous province.
The high popularity can be seen from several indicators. For example, on the last day of 2025, Guangzhou Metro’s daily passenger flow reached 14.093 million, setting a national record. In the first quarter of 2026, Guangzhou Baiyun Airport ranked first in China for passenger throughput. During the 2026 Spring Festival holiday, Guangdong received a total of 86.589 million tourists, generating tourism revenue of 84.89 billion yuan, both ranking first nationally.
What’s remarkable is that, despite the massive population, Guangdong’s demographic structure remains youthful. By the end of 2025, the proportion of working-age population (16-59 years) in Guangdong is 66.31%, nearly 6 percentage points higher than the national average; the proportion aged 65 and above is only 10.3%, far below the national average of 15.9%. A large and young population ensures that demographic dividends continue to empower Guangdong’s development.
There are two major reasons for Guangdong’s popularity. First, people there are willing to have children. Guangdong residents have a strong willingness to have children, and combined with the advantage of a large base population, the province’s number of births has long been among the top in the country, earning it the reputation of being China’s “most willing-to-have-kids” province.
Data shows that in 2025, Guangdong will have 1.003 million births, making it the only province nationwide with annual births exceeding one million for six consecutive years.
The second reason is Guangdong’s proactive talent recruitment. In 2025, the province launched the “Millions of Talents Converge in Southern Guangdong” initiative, ultimately attracting over 1.1 million college graduates to work or start businesses in the province. Guangdong will continue this initiative in 2026, again targeting 1 million.
Young people are voting with their feet. The “China City Talent Attractiveness Ranking for Post-95s (2025)” shows that Shenzhen has topped the attractiveness ranking for three consecutive years, with Guangzhou ranking fifth.
At the same time, Guangdong’s allure has never just been about making money—it’s about development.
Once, the saying was, “To get rich, go to Guangdong.” Now it has become, “To develop, go to Guangdong.”
As China’s No.1 economic powerhouse, Guangdong’s GDP has surpassed 14 trillion yuan (about 8.13 trillion ringgit), leading the nation for 37 consecutive years. Its economic aggregate accounts for more than one-tenth of the country, while foreign trade imports and exports account for one-fifth.
Today, Guangdong boasts ten industrial sectors, including new-generation electronic information and advanced materials, each with annual output exceeding one trillion yuan. With its diverse sectors and abundant job opportunities, regardless of skill level or industry, anyone coming to Guangdong can find a foothold and opportunities for growth. In 2025, Guangdong added 1.494 million new urban jobs, exceeding the national target.
More importantly, Guangdong is not just a “world factory” but also an innovation hub. The province’s regional innovation capability has led the nation for nine consecutive years, and the “Shenzhen—Hong Kong—Guangzhou” innovation cluster has risen to first in the world.
Guangdong produces 90% of China’s drones, 40% of industrial robots, and over 80% of service robots. Guangdong is now striving to build itself into a highland for artificial intelligence and robotics industries. The surge of new industries, new tracks, and new opportunities continues to attract talent from all over.