Chinese Have More Elbow Room at Home Than a Decade Ago, NBS Data Show
Lin Xiaozhao
DATE:  Aug 12 2022
/ SOURCE:  Yicai
Chinese Have More Elbow Room at Home Than a Decade Ago, NBS Data Show Chinese Have More Elbow Room at Home Than a Decade Ago, NBS Data Show

(Yicai Global) Aug. 12 -- Housing space per person in China has increased by 34.5 percent in the decade to 2020, according to official data.

The per capita housing area was an average 41.7 square meters in 2020, versus 31.1 sqm in 2010, figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics showed. It soared 47.5 percent to 46.8 sqm in rural areas, and rose 32 percent to 42.3 sqm in urban areas, with the average urban flat measuring 36.5 sqm in 2020, 25.2 percent more than 10 years earlier.

Space per person is rapidly increasing, but there is a wide gap between regions, Zhang Bo, director of think tank 58 Anjuke Institute, told Yicai Global.

In seven of the country’s 31 provinces, those mostly located in central, western, and northwestern China, the area per person expanded by more than 10 sqm. In seven other provinces, mainly in the eastern coastal region, the number rose by less than 6 sqm.

Space is also related to house prices, Zhang said, noting that residents in first- and second-tier cities, where property prices are higher, buy based on functionality rather than comfort.

The smallest gain, 3.2 sqm, was recorded in Guangdong, China’s main economic powerhouse. Growth was smaller in Guangdong and Zhejiang because a large number of people moved to these provinces over the past decade.

Permanent residents in Guangdong jumped by 21.7 million, or almost 21 percent, in the 10 years to 2020, making up 30 percent of the total across the country, according to China’s seventh population census. Permanent residents in Zhejiang rose by 10.1 million, of which 3.24 million settled in the provincial capital of Hangzhou.

There is scope for further expansion in places with large population inflows, such as Guangzhou and Shenzhen in Guangdong, Zhang said. Housing demand in these areas will be met by property buying and renting, he added.

Editors: Shi Yi, Futura Costaglione

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Keywords:   Per capita housing space