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This articles lists of the first-level administrative divisions of People's Republic of China (P.R.C.), including all provinces, autonomous regions, special administrative regions, and municipalities, in order of their population density at the end of 2004.

The nation’s overall population density was 135 persons per square kilometer in 2003.

The most densely populated provinces are in the east: Jiangsu (712 persons per square kilometer), Shandong (587 persons per square kilometer), and Henan (546 persons per square kilometer). Shanghai was the most densely populated municipality at 2,646 persons per square kilometer. The least densely populated areas are in the west, with Tibet having the lowest density at only 2 persons per square kilometer.

Taiwan Province, which is claimed by the People's Republic of China (PRC) but is entirely under the administration of the Republic of China (ROC), is excluded from this list. Also, the figure for Fujian Province excludes the population in the area that is under the administration of the Fukien Province of the ROC. The population figure of the entire territory under the administration of the ROC , which includes Taiwan, Penghu, Matsu, Kinmen, and other islands, collectively known as the Free Area or the Taiwan Area, is included at the end of the list for comparison purposes.

The map showing the population density of the first-level administrative regions of the People's Republic of China and Taiwan (province of the Republic of China) - click to enlarge.

The figures are given in persons per square kilometer.

1. Macau S.A.R. - 16,921
2. Hong Kong S.A.R. - 6,380
3. Shanghai Municipality - 2,747
4. Beijing Municipality - 888
5. Tianjin Municipality - 859
6. Jiangsu - 724
7. Shandong - 586
8. Henan - 582
9. Guangdong - 467
10. Zhejiang - 463.7
11. Anhui - 463.5
12. Chongqing Municipality - 379
13. Hebei - 363
14. Hubei - 324
15. Hunan - 316
16. Fujian - 289.2
17. Liaoning - 289.0
18. Jiangxi - 257
19. Hainan - 241
20. Guizhou - 222
21. Shanxi - 213
22. Guangxi - 207
23. Shaanxi - 180.0
24. Sichuan - 179.9
25. Jilin - 145
26. Yunnan - 112
27. Ningxia - 89.1
28. Heilongjiang - 83.0
29. Gansu - 57.7
30. Inner Mongolia - 20.2
31. Xinjiang - 11.8
32. Qinghai - 7.48
33. Tibet - 2.23

• Area administered by the Republic of China (ROC) - 626.98

• Mainland China figures: Calculated by dividing figures in List of China administrative divisions by population by figures in List of China administrative divisions by area
• Hong Kong figures: Census and Statistics Department, Government of Hong Kong SAR (retrieved February 11, 2006)
• Macau figures: Statistics and Census Service, Government of Macau SAR (retrieved February 11, 2006)
• Republic of China figures: National Statistics, Republic of China (retrieved February 11, 2006))