Henan

Henan is a province in Central China, home to many heritage sites which include Yinxu, the ruins of the final capital of the Shang dynasty (c. 1600 – c. 1050 BC) and the Shaolin Temple. Four of the historical capitals of China, Luoyang, Anyang, Kaifeng and Zhengzhou, are in Henan.

Henan 河南 Honan
Province
Name transcription(s)
• Chinese	河南省 (Hénán shěng)
• Abbreviation	HA / HEN / 豫 (Yù)
Clockwise: Mount Song Kaifeng Fawang Temple in Dengfeng Fawang Temple pagoda Longmen Grottoes
Location of Henan in China
Country	China
Named after	河 hé – Yellow River 南 nán – south "south of the Yellow River"
Capital (and largest city)	Zhengzhou
Divisions	17 prefectures, 159 counties, 2,455 townships
Government
• Type	Province
• Body	Henan Provincial People's Congress
• Party Secretary	Liu Ning
• Congress Chairman	Liu Ning
• Governor	Wang Kai
• CPPCC Chairman	Kong Changsheng
• National People's Congress Representation	174 deputies
Area
• Total	167,000 km^2 (64,000 sq mi)
• Rank	17th
Highest elevation (Laoyachanao)	2,413.8 m (7,919 ft)
Population  (2020)
• Total	99,365,519
• Rank	3rd
• Density	595/km^2 (1,540/sq mi)
• Rank	7th
Demographics
• Ethnic composition	Han: 98.6% Others: 1.4%
• Languages and dialects	Central Plains Mandarin Jin
GDP (2023)
• Total	CN¥5,913 billion (6th) (US$839 billion)
• Per capita	CN¥60,073 (25th) (US$8,525)
ISO 3166 code	CN-HA
HDI (2022)	0.760 (25th) – high
Website	henan.gov.cn

Henan
"Henan" in Chinese characters
Chinese	河南
Postal	Honan
Literal meaning	South of the Yellow River
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Hénán Bopomofo ㄏㄜˊ ㄋㄢˊ Wade–Giles Ho^2-nan^2 IPA [xɤ̌.nǎn] other Mandarin Xiao'erjing حېناًنْ Wu Suzhounese Ghôu-nóe Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Hòh-nàahm Jyutping Ho4-naam4 IPA [hɔ˩.nam˩] Southern Min Tâi-lô Hô-lâm
Abbreviation
Chinese	豫
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Yù Bopomofo ㄩˋ Wade–Giles Yü^4 IPA [ŷ] other Mandarin Xiao'erjing يُو Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Yuh Jyutping Jyu6 IPA [jy˨]

While the province's name means 'south of the river', approximately a quarter of the province lies north of the Yellow River. With an area of 167,000 km² (64,000 sq mi), Henan covers a large part of the fertile and densely populated North China Plain. Its neighboring provinces are Shaanxi, Shanxi, Hebei, Shandong, Anhui, and Hubei.

Henan is China's third-most populous province and the most populous among inland provinces, with a population of over 99 million as of 2020. It is also the world's seventh-most populous administrative division; if it were a country by itself, Henan would be the 17th-most populous in the world, behind Egypt and Vietnam. People from Henan often suffer from regional discrimination.

Henan has the 5th-largest provincial economy in China, the second-largest in South Central China after Guangdong, and the largest among inland provinces, with a nominal GDP of CN¥5.88 trillion (US$926 billion) in 2021, surpassing that of Turkey (US$815 billion). If it were a country, it would be the 18th-largest economy as of 2021. However, its GDP per capita is low compared to other eastern and central provinces. The economy continues to grow based on aluminum and coal prices, as well as agriculture, heavy industry, tourism and retail. High-tech industries and the service sector are concentrated around Zhengzhou and Luoyang.

Henan hosts more than 150 institutions of higher education, ranking first in the Central China region. As of 2025, three major cities in the province ranked in the top 140 cities in the world (Zhengzhou 58th, Kaifeng 136th and Xinxiang 138th) by scientific research output, as tracked by the Nature Index.

History

Widely regarded as one of the cradles of Chinese civilization along with the provinces of Shanxi and Shaanxi, Henan is known for its historical prosperity and periodic downturns. The economic prosperity resulted from its extensive fertile plains and its location at the heart of the country. However, its strategic location also means that it has suffered from nearly all of the major wars in China. In addition, the numerous floods of the Yellow River have caused significant damage from time to time. Kaifeng, in particular, has been buried by China's Yellow River's silt seven times due to flooding.

Antiquity

Archaeological sites reveal that prehistoric cultures such as the Yangshao Culture and Longshan Culture were active in what is now northern Henan since the Neolithic Era. The more recent Erlitou culture has been controversially identified with the Xia dynasty, the first and largely legendary Chinese dynasty that was established, roughly, in the 21st century BC. Virtually the entire kingdom existed within what is now north and central Henan.

The Xia dynasty collapsed around the 16th century BC following the invasion of Shang, a neighboring vassal state centered around today's Shangqiu in eastern Henan. The Shang dynasty (16th–11th centuries BC) was the first literate dynasty of China. Its many capitals are located at the modern cities of Shangqiu, Yanshi, and Zhengzhou. Their last and most important capital of Yin, located in modern Anyang, is where the first Chinese writing was created.

In the 11th century BC, the Zhou dynasty of Shaanxi arrived from the west and overthrew the Shang dynasty. During the Western Zhou period (c. 1046 – 771 BC), the capital and political and economical center was moved away from Henan for the first time. The Spring and Autumn period, a period of warfare and rivalry, began in 721 BC. What is now Henan and all of China was divided into a variety of small, independent states, constantly at war for control of the central plain. Although regarded formally as the ruler of China, the control that Zhou king in Luoyang exerted over the feudal kingdoms had virtually disappeared. Despite the prolonged period of instability, prominent philosophers such as Confucius emerged in this era and offered their ideas on how a state should be run. Laozi, the founder of Taoism, was born in northern Chu, part of modern-day Henan.

Later on, these states were replaced by seven large and powerful states during the Warring States period, and Henan was divided into three states, the Wei to the north, the Chu to the south, and the Han in the middle. In 221 BC, state of Qin forces from Shaanxi conquered all of the other six states, ending 800 years of warfare.

Imperial era

Ying Zheng, the leader of Qin, crowned himself (220 BCE) as the first emperor of China. He abolished the feudal system and centralized all powers, establishing the Qin dynasty and unifying the core of the Han Chinese homeland for the first time. The empire quickly collapsed after the death (210 BCE) of Ying Zheng and was replaced by the Han dynasty in 206 BC, with its capital at Chang'an. Thus, a golden age of Chinese culture, economy, and military power began. The capital moved east to Luoyang in 25 AD, in response to a coup in Chang'an that created the short-lived Xin dynasty. Luoyang quickly regained control of China, and the Eastern Han dynasty (25–220) began, extending the golden age for another two centuries.

The late Eastern Han dynasty saw war and rivalry between regional warlords. Xuchang in central Henan was the power base of Cao Cao, who eventually succeeded in unifying all of northern China under the Kingdom of Wei. Wei then moved its capital to Luoyang, which remained the capital after the unification of China by the Western Jin dynasty. During this period Luoyang became one of the largest and most prosperous cities in the world, despite being repeatedly damaged by warfare.

With the fall of the Western Jin dynasty in the 4th and 5th centuries, nomadic peoples from the north invaded northern China and established many successive regimes in northern China, including Henan. These people were gradually assimilated into the Chinese culture in a process known as sinification.

The short-lived Sui dynasty reunified China again in 589 with its capital back in Chang'an. It collapsed due to Sui Emperor Yang's costly attempt to relocate the capital from Chang'an to Luoyang and the construction of many extravagant palaces there. The succeeding Tang dynasty (618–907) kept its capital in Chang'an, marking the beginning of China's second golden age, with Henan being one of the wealthiest places in the empire.

The Tang dynasty lasted for three centuries before it eventually succumbed to internal strife. In the Period of Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms (907–960) that followed, Kaifeng in eastern Henan became the capital of four dynasties. The Song dynasty that reunified China in 982 also had its capital at Kaifeng. Under Song rule, China entered another era of culture and prosperity, and Kaifeng overtook Luoyang and Chang'an as the largest city in China and in the world. In 1127, however, the Song dynasty succumbed to Jurchen (Jin dynasty) invaders from the north in the Jin–Song war, and in 1142 ceded all of northern China, including Henan. The Song government moved its capital to Hangzhou in Southern China, which, under the Southern Song dynasty (1127–1279) continued to enjoy relative economic and culture prosperity. A prolonged period of peace and cultural and economic prosperity in the Yangtze delta Jiangnan region (modern southern Jiangsu, northern Zhejiang, and Shanghai) made this the new center of Chinese culture and economy.

Kaifeng served as the Jurchen's "southern capital" from 1157 (other sources say 1161) and was reconstructed during this time. But the Jurchen kept their main capital further north, until 1214, when they were forced to move the imperial court southwards to Kaifeng in order to flee the Mongol onslaught. In 1234 they succumbed to combined Mongol and Song dynasty forces. Mongols took control, and in 1279 they conquered all of China, establishing the Yuan dynasty and set up the equivalent of modern Henan, with borders very similar to the modern ones. Neither its territories nor its role in the economy changed under later dynasties. Henan remained important in the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) and Qing dynasty (1644–1911) that followed, though its economy slowly deteriorated due to frequent natural disasters.

Modern era

The Qing dynasty was overthrown by the 1911 Revolution and then the Republic of China was established in 1912, during which a man from Henan, Yuan Shikai, played an important role and thus he became the first president of Republic of China. The construction and extension of the Pinghan Railway and Longhai Railway had turned Zhengzhou, a minor county town at the time, into a major transportation hub. Despite the rise of Zhengzhou, Henan's overall economy repeatedly stumbled as it was the hardest hit by the many disasters that struck China in its modern era.

Henan suffered greatly during the Second Sino-Japanese War. In 1938, when the Imperial Japanese Army captured Kaifeng, the government led by Chiang Kai-shek bombed the Huayuankou dam in Zhengzhou in order to prevent Japanese forces from advancing further. However, this caused massive flooding in Henan, Anhui, and Jiangsu resulting in hundreds of thousands of deaths. In 1942 Henan was hit by a great famine resulting from a mix of drought, locusts and destruction caused by the war.

In 1954, the new government of the People's Republic of China moved the capital of Henan from Kaifeng to Zhengzhou, as a result of its economic importance. The PRC had earlier established a short-lived Pingyuan Province consisting of what is now northern Henan and western Shandong with Xinxiang as its capital. This province was abolished in 1952.

In 1958, Yashan in Suiping County, Henan, became the first people's commune of China, heralding the beginning of the "Great Leap Forward". In the subsequent famines of the early 1960s popularly attributed to the Great Leap Forward, Henan was one of the hardest hit and millions of people died.^{[unreliable source?]} Suffering under famine and economic chaos caused by the Great Leap, locals in Henan offered low-level resistance mostly through banditry. In 1959, however, a full peasant uprising erupted and was only defeated after twenty days of fighting.

A destructive flooding of the Huai River in the summer of 1950 prompted large-scale construction of dams on its tributaries in central and southern Henan. Unfortunately, many of the dams were not able to withstand the extraordinarily high levels of rainfall caused by Typhoon Nina in August 1975. Sixty-two dams, the largest of which was the Banqiao Dam in Biyang County collapsed; catastrophic flooding, spread over several counties throughout Zhumadian Prefecture and further downstream, killed at least 26,000 people. Unofficial human life loss estimates, including deaths from the ensuing epidemics and famine, range as high as 85,600, 171,000 or even 230 000. This is considered the most deadly dam-related disaster in human history.

By the early 1970s, China was one of the poorest countries in the world, and Henan was one of the poorest provinces in China. In 1978, however, when the communist leader Deng Xiaoping initiated the open door policy and embraced capitalism, China entered an economic boom that continues today. The boom did not reach inland provinces such as Henan initially, but by the 1990s Henan's economy was expanding at an even faster rate than that of China overall.

In July 2021, high amounts of rainfall caused flooding, killing 302 and damaging amounting to 82 billion yuan.

Geography

Henan has a diverse landscape with floodplains in the east and mountains in the west. Much of the province forms part the densely populated North China Plain, an area known as the "breadbasket of China". The Taihang Mountains intrude partially into Henan's northwestern borders from Shanxi, forming the eastern edge of Loess Plateau. To the west the Xionger and Funiu Mountains form an extensive network of mountain ranges and plateaus, supporting one of the few remaining temperate deciduous forests which once covered all of Henan. The renowned Mount Song and its Shaolin Temple is located in the far east of the region, near the capital city Zhengzhou. To the far south, the Dabie Mountains divides Hubei from Henan. The Nanyang Basin, separated from North China Plain by these mountains, is another important agricultural and population center, with culture and history distinct from the rest of Henan and closer to that of Hubei's. Unlike the rest of northern China, desertification is not a problem in Henan, though sandstorms are common in cities near the Yellow River due to the large amount of sand present in the river. At 2413.8 meters above sea level, the highest point in Henan province is Laoyachanao (老鸦岔垴).

The Yellow River passes through central Henan. It enters from the northwest, via the Sanmenxia Reservoir. After it passes Luoyang, the mountains gave way to plains. Excessive amount of sediments are formed due to the silt it picks up from the Loess Plateau, raising the river bed and causing frequent floods which shaped the habitat of the region. More recently however, construction of dams and levees, as well as the depletion of water resources have ended the floods. The Huai River in southern Henan is another important river, and has been recognized as part of the boundary dividing northern and southern Chinese climate and culture.

Henan shares borders with six other provinces. It is bordered to the west by Shaanxi, to the south by Hubei, and to the north by Shanxi (northwest) and Hebei (northeast). To the east lie Shandong (northeast) and Anhui (southeast), whose borders meet at a narrow strip of land which separates Henan from Jiangsu to the east.

Climate

Henan has a temperate climate that is humid subtropical (Köppen Cwa or Cfa) to the south of the Yellow River and bordering on humid continental (Köppen Dwa) to the north. It has a distinct seasonal climate characterised by hot, humid summers due to the East Asian monsoon, and generally cool to cold, windy, dry winters that reflect the influence of the vast Siberian anticyclone. Temperatures average around the freezing mark in January and 27 to 28 °C in July. A great majority of the annual rainfall occurs during the summer.

Administrative divisions

Henan is divided into seventeen prefecture-level divisions: all prefecture-level cities; along with one directly administered county-level city (a sub-prefecture-level city):

Administrative divisions of Henan
Zhengzhou Kaifeng Luoyang Pingdingshan Anyang Hebi Xinxiang Jiaozuo Puyang Xuchang Luohe Sanmenxia Nanyang Shangqiu Xinyang Zhoukou Zhumadian Jiyuan █ Provincial administered county-level divisions
Division code	Division	Area in km^2	Population 2020	Seat	Divisions
					Districts*	Counties	CL cities
410000	Henan Province	167,000.00	99,366,019	Zhengzhou city	54	82	21
410100	Zhengzhou city	7,532.56	12,600,574	Zhongyuan District	6	1	5
410200	Kaifeng city	6,260.95	4,824,016	Gulou District	5	4
410300	Luoyang city	15,229.83	7,056,699	Luolong District	7	7
410400	Pingdingshan city	7,909.42	4,987,137	Xinhua District	4	4	2
410500	Anyang city	7,354.11	5,477,614	Beiguan District	4	4	1
410600	Hebi city	2,136.85	1,565,973	Qibin District	3	2
410700	Xinxiang city	8,249.45	6,251,929	Weibin District	4	5	3
410800	Jiaozuo city	4,000.89	3,521,078	Jiefang District	4	4	2
410900	Puyang city	4,187.90	3,772,088	Hualong District	1	5
411000	Xuchang city	4,978.36	4,379,998	Weidu District	2	2	2
411100	Luohe city	6,260.95	2,367,490	Yancheng District	3	2
411200	Sanmenxia city	9,936.65	2,034,872	Hubin District	2	2	2
411300	Nanyang city	26,508.69	9,713,112	Wolong District	2	10	1
411400	Shangqiu city	10,700.23	7,816,831	Liangyuan District	2	6	1
411500	Xinyang city	18,908.27	6,234,401	Shihe District	2	8
411600	Zhoukou city	11,959.40	9,026,015	Chuanhui District	2	7	1
411700	Zhumadian city	15,095.30	7,008,427	Yicheng District	1	9
419001	Jiyuan city**	1,893.76	727,765	Qinyuan Subdistrict			1
* – including Ethnic districts ** – Directly administered county-level divisions (Jiyuan was formerly part of Jiaozuo)

Administrative divisions in Chinese and varieties of romanizations
English	Chinese	Pinyin
Henan Province	河南省	Hénán Shěng
Zhengzhou city	郑州市	Zhèngzhōu Shì
Kaifeng city	开封市	Kāifēng Shì
Luoyang city	洛阳市	Luòyáng Shì
Pingdingshan city	平顶山市	Píngdǐngshān Shì
Anyang city	安阳市	Ānyáng Shì
Hebi city	鹤壁市	Hèbì Shì
Xinxiang city	新乡市	Xīnxiāng Shì
Jiaozuo city	焦作市	Jiāozuò Shì
Puyang city	濮阳市	Púyáng Shì
Xuchang city	许昌市	Xǔchāng Shì
Luohe city	漯河市	Luòhé Shì
Sanmenxia city	三门峡市	Sānménxiá Shì
Nanyang city	南阳市	Nányáng Shì
Shangqiu city	商丘市	Shāngqiū Shì
Xinyang city	信阳市	Xìnyáng Shì
Zhoukou city	周口市	Zhōukǒu Shì
Zhumadian city	驻马店市	Zhùmǎdiàn Shì
Jiyuan city	济源市	Jìyuán Shì

These 17 prefecture-level cities and one directly administered county-level city of Henan are in turn subdivided into 157 county-level divisions (54 districts, 21 county-level cities, and 82 counties; the sub-prefecture-level city of Jiyuan is counted as a county-level city here). Those are in turn divided into 2454 township-level divisions (1181 towns, 598 townships, twelve ethnic townships, and 663 subdistricts).

Urban areas

Population by urban areas of prefecture & county cities
#	City	Urban area	District area	City proper	Census date
1	Zhengzhou	3,677,032	4,253,913	8,627,089	2010-11-01
2	Luoyang	1,584,463	1,926,079	6,549,941	2010-11-01
3	Xinxiang	918,078	1,047,088	5,708,191	2010-11-01
4	Anyang	908,129	1,146,839	5,173,188	2010-11-01
5	Nanyang	899,899	1,811,812	10,263,660	2010-11-01
6	Pingdingshan	855,130	1,034,042	4,904,701	2010-11-01
7	Kaifeng	725,573	896,117	4,676,483	2010-11-01
(7)	Kaifeng (new district)	168,569	698,799	see Kaifeng	2010-11-01
8	Jiaozuo	702,527	865,413	3,540,101	2010-11-01
9	Xinyang	625,302	1,230,042	6,109,106	2010-11-01
10	Shangqiu	618,549	1,536,392	7,362,975	2010-11-01
11	Luohe	575,956	1,294,974	2,544,266	2010-11-01
12	Hebi	477,659	634,721	1,569,208	2010-11-01
13	Xuchang	466,341	498,087	4,307,488	2010-11-01
(13)	Xuchang (new district)	208,168	767,449	see Xuchang	2010-11-01
14	Puyang	465,980	655,674	3,598,740	2010-11-01
15	Zhumadian	447,559	721,723	7,231,234	2010-11-01
16	Dengzhou	415,082	1,468,157	see Nanyang	2010-11-01
17	Yongcheng	414,312	1,240,382	see Shangqiu	2010-11-01
18	Yuzhou	372,815	1,131,896	see Xuchang	2010-11-01
19	Gongyi	366,265	807,911	see Zhengzhou	2010-11-01
20	Xinmi	359,148	797,256	see Zhengzhou	2010-11-01
21	Xiangcheng	355,449	1,003,698	see Zhoukou	2010-11-01
22	Xinzheng	337,356	758,128	see Zhengzhou	2010-11-01
23	Jiyuan	334,697	675,757	675,757	2010-11-01
24	Linzhou	321,755	789,702	see Anyang	2010-11-01
25	Zhoukou	308,360	505,171	8,953,793	2010-11-01
26	Yanshi	300,743	666,696	see Luoyang	2010-11-01
27	Ruzhou	296,913	927,934	see Pingdingshan	2010-11-01
28	Dengfeng	293,028	668,637	see Zhengzhou	2010-11-01
29	Sanmenxia	285,153	325,628	2,234,018	2010-11-01
(29)	Sanmenxia (new district)	118,388	343,679	see Sanmenxia	2010-11-01
30	Changge	281,578	687,130	see Xuchang	2010-11-01
31	Xingyang	269,655	613,804	see Zhengzhou	2010-11-01
32	Huixian	261,767	740,435	see Xinxiang	2010-11-01
33	Lingbao	231,101	721,049	see Sanmenxia	2010-11-01
34	Qinyang	223,647	367,113	see Jiaozuo	2010-11-01
35	Weihui	167,454	495,744	see Xinxiang	2010-11-01
36	Wugang	147,521	313,828	see Pingdingshan	2010-11-01
37	Mengzhou	138,393	447,701	see Jiaozuo	2010-11-01
38	Yima	136,461	144,779	see Sanmenxia	2010-11-01

1. Henan; UK: /hɜːˈnæn/; or /həˈnæn/; US: /hʌˈnɑːn/; Chinese: 河南; alternatively Honan
2. New district established after census: Xiangfu (Kaifeng County). The new district not included in the urban area & district area count of the pre-expanded city.
3. New district established after census: Jian'an (Xuchang County). The new district not included in the urban area & district area count of the pre-expanded city.
4. New district established after census: Shanzhou (Shanxian County). The new district not included in the urban area & district area count of the pre-expanded city.

Most populous cities in Henan Source: China Urban Construction Statistical Yearbook 2018 Urban Population and Urban Temporary Population
Rank		Pop.	Rank		Pop.
1	Zhengzhou	6,261,900	11	Luohe	610,300
2	Luoyang	2,359,800	12	Xinyang	609,200
3	Nanyang	1,604,700	13	Xuchang	565,800
4	Kaifeng	1,023,000	14	Zhumadian	513,800
5	Shangqiu	964,800	15	Sanmenxia	494,200
6	Pingdingshan	964,500	16	Hebi	490,200
7	Jiaozuo	801,000	17	Yongcheng	466,000
8	Xinxiang	789,600	18	Yuzhou	434,400
9	Anyang	760,000	19	Zhoukou	431,300
10	Puyang	611,400	20	Ruzhou	410,000

Demographics

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1912	28,518,000	—
1928	30,566,000	+7.2%
1936–37	34,290,000	+12.2%
1947	29,654,000	−13.5%
1954	44,214,594	+49.1%
1964	50,325,511	+13.8%
1982	74,422,739	+47.9%
1990	85,509,535	+14.9%
2000	91,236,854	+6.7%
2010	94,023,567	+3.1%

With a population of approximately 98.2 million, Henan is the third most populous Chinese province after Guangdong and Shandong. It is also the fifth most populous sub-national division in the world. If it were a country by itself, it would be the twelfth most populous in the world, just behind Mexico and ahead of the Philippines. However, the hukou system shows Henan as the most populous province in China with over 103 million people, as it counts the migrant Henanese laborers as residents of Henan, instead of the province they currently reside in. On the other hand, Guangdong is shown as having only 81 million people, though the actual population is 95 million due to the influx of migrants from other provinces. Only 85.14 million are considered permanent residents of their registered households. This may be partially explained by systematic difficulties and errors in surveying/reporting, but also further highlights the amount of workers who migrate within and out of Henan. As such, Henan is considered amongst the largest labor export provinces in China.

Henan exhibits demographic statistics indicative of a late stage in the demographic transition model. It has a birth rate of 7.06, decreasing from 9.24 in 2020 and 12.70 in 2015, while an aging population likely explains a slight uptick in the death rate to 8.00 from 7.05 in 2015, but its overall population is experiencing a decreasing natural growth rate, ticking into the negatives at -.94% in 2023. This, in combination with consistent out-migration, can explain Henan’s slow population growth. The life expectancy is 77.6 years, matching nationwide numbers. Most households in Henan have between 2-4 people. 64.47% of the population can be considered working age–between 15 and 64, with a gross dependency ratio of 54.4%. This is similar to national levels, as China has a glut of 20s-to-middle-aged people exactly within working age. This will likely lead to the same demographic implications for the future of Henan: as the current cohort of 60-64 year-olds enter retirement there will be relatively fewer and fewer young Henanese to replace them in the workforce. As such, the economy must adapt to leaner workforces, and increasing demand for service sectors such as eldercare and healthcare.

Henan hosts an urban population of 57.01 million, a 58% urbanization rate, below that of China’s national average of 67%. Nonetheless, it is a jump from 2014 when the urban population was only 43.45 million. This urbanization process can be largely attributed to internal migration from rural areas within Henan as overall population grew by less than 2 million in that same time frame. While being amongst the highest provinces in China by GDP, by per-capita measures it ranks 25 out of 31. Despite Henan’s overall wealth, these numbers reflect the relative poverty of its individual residents and its emigrant workers compared to coastal provinces due to its massive population. Per-capita disposable income averages out close to the national statistic of 31.5k yuan, though regional discrimination persists against Henanese for being poor and association with criminality. This holds in line with general wealth trends in China: urban areas concentrate wealth as rural regions lag behind. And on a broader scale, Coastal provinces developed the fastest and became the wealthiest, and drew migrant labor from central provinces such as Henan. The central region is then an in-between to the wealth of the coast and the poorer economies to the West.

Population Composition

The population is highly homogeneous with 98.8% of the population being Han. Small populations of Mongols and Manchus exist in scattered rural communities as well as major urban centers. Along with Jiangxi, Henan has one of the most unbalanced gender ratios in China. As a result of the Chinese government's one-child policy (many parents do not want the only child to be female and abort the fetus), the gender ratio was 118.46 males for 100 females in 2000. Subsequently, aborting fetuses due to their female sex was banned in Henan and heavy fines are issued for those who violate the law. The ratio decreased to 117.8 in 2010 and down to 108.4 in 2020. In addition, daughter-only families receive an annual allowance from the government. Despite these efforts the problem seems to have become far worse. Based on a 2009 British Medical Journal study, the ratio is over 140 boys for every 100 girls in the 1–4 age group; this might be a strong exaggeration, as many families with more than one child do not register their daughters to the hukou in order to escape fines. The National Bureau of Statistics of China reports that to have decreased to 100.57 in 2023, presenting a conflicting narrative from outside sources.

Employment

The government is a large employer in Henan. Its largest sectors include manufacturing, public bureaucracy, education, and construction. This generally mirrors larger trends across China such as the CCP’s Made in China 2025 plan to keep Chinese manufacturing central to the global supply chain. Public administration is a large sector umbrellaing public servant jobs such as social security and public management. However, it has notably employed fewer and fewer numbers year-over-year since 2020. In the public sector, reported numbers show urban employment is overwhelmingly dominated by retail. This is reflected in gross regional product numbers by industry, with Henan’s largest value-added contributors from secondary (manufacturing) and tertiary (services) industry.

Religion

1. Non religious and traditional faiths (86.1%)
2. Buddhism (6.40%)
3. Protestantism (5.60%)
4. Catholic (0.50%)
5. Islam (1.30%)
6. Others (0.20%)