China’s Population Distribution: Not 90% in the East

The claim that >90% live in the eastern third is false. While coastal provinces (Guangdong, Shandong, Jiangsu, etc.) are densely populated, the central (Henan, Hubei, Hunan) and western (Sichuan, Yunnan, Shaanxi) regions each hold hundreds of millions. Roughly one-third each: east, central, west. The “Hu Line” (Heihe–Tengchong) marks the demographic divide—94% east of it, but that line runs north-south, not a simple third.