In 2025, the six major provinces in central China and the four provinces of Shandong, Shanxi, Henan, and Hebei (referred to as “sand and river four provinces”) saw a greater decrease in population compared to the total decrease in population in the three northeastern provinces, posing a phenomenon known as the “northeasternization.” Among them, Hunan province faces even greater challenges. Recently, Hunan Province is facing an urgent situation, prompting the top officials to collectively mobilize to attract talents to “stay in Hunan and come to Hunan.”
After the seventh national population census of the Chinese Communist Party, the permanent population of Hunan Province decreased by 224,900 in 2021, 180,000 in 2022, 360,000 in 2023, and 290,000 in 2024, with a total decrease of 1,054,900 over four years, becoming the province with the largest decrease in population in the southern region. In just 2024, the population decreased by 290,000 in the entire province, including a natural decrease of 111,000 and a net outflow of 179,000.
In the past four years, four provinces with a total population decrease of over a million include Henan, Heilongjiang, Hunan, and Liaoning.
In a recent report by “Finance and Economics Watching,” against the backdrop of the increasingly prominent “population crisis” in Hunan, on September 21, the authorities in Hunan launched the “Intelligence Gathering in Xiangjiang, Talent Concentration in Hunan” action at Central South University, releasing nearly 300,000 job positions. Among them, private enterprises provided 116,100 positions, covering key areas such as engineering machinery, rail transportation equipment, digital industry, new energy, and health.
According to the plan, starting in late September, top officials of Hunan Provincial Party Committee, the Provincial People’s Congress, the Provincial Government, and the Provincial Political Consultative Conference will be dispatched to six cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Xi’an, Wuhan, Chengdu, and Nanjing to hold dedicated talent recruitment activities.
The phenomenon of population decline is not exclusive to Hunan. In 2023, all six major provinces in the central region of China, namely Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Anhui, and Shanxi, all experienced negative population growth, with a total decrease of 1,333,300 people.
In 2024, the total population decreased by 1.07 million in the four provinces of Shandong, Shanxi, Henan, and Hebei (referred to as “sand and river four provinces”). The six central provinces had a total decrease of 940,300 people, while the three northeastern provinces had a combined decrease of 821,000 people.
The report indicates that the sand and river four provinces and the six central provinces have all undergo “northeasternization,” surpassing even the northeastern region. Among them, the challenges faced by Hunan Province are even more significant.
From a statistical perspective, the population decline in Hunan Province is faster, partly due to the decrease in natural population.
In 2023, the permanent population in Hunan Province decreased by 360,000, with a natural decrease of 203,000. In 2024, the permanent population decreased by 290,000, with a natural decrease of 111,000. The net outflow of population in Hunan Province was 157,000 in 2023 and 179,000 in 2024.
From a deeper perspective, despite Hunan’s GDP being higher than Anhui, its industrial strength is significantly inferior, even lower than Jiangxi. In terms of industrial revenue last year, Hunan lagged behind Anhui by 1.35 trillion yuan.
The report notes that due to this situation, Hunan Province is under pressure, leading to the mobilization of the entire province and the collective participation of the top officials in the “Intelligence Gathering in Xiangjiang, Talent Concentration in Hunan” action.
The northeastern three provinces (Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning) have always been synonymous with population loss in China. According to statistics, the three provinces saw a total decrease of 821,000 people in 2024, with Heilongjiang experiencing the largest decrease. This trend has continued for many years, attributed to local industrial transformation pressures, the outflow of young population, and low birth rates.
Many cities in Heilongjiang were originally resource-based cities. However, as many of these resource-based cities have exhausted their resources, such as the coal in cities like Hegang being depleted, the local pillar industries continue to decline, forcing the local residents to seek livelihoods elsewhere.
This has also resulted in a continuous economic decline in the region, with a significant loss of employment opportunities and private enterprise positions almost disappearing. With people leaving and other economic sectors unable to develop, local property prices continue to fall, causing houses in cities like Hegang to be sold at bargain prices in recent years.