Zhuhai population grows as expected

Zhuhai had 1.89 million permanent residents by the end of 2018, an increase of 125,700 from last year and a year-on-year rise of 7.1 percent; the growth rate was one of the highest in the Pearl River Delta, according to the Guangdong Statistics Bureau.

The permanent residential population growth of 2018 was a new record in Zhuhai's history since it became a city in 1979, according to Zhuhai's 2018 statistical yearbook.

Analysts attributed the surge in the population mostly to the vigorous economic development the city has shown and preferential policies prioritizing talents.

The Zhuhai Talent Program issued last April proved to be a key driver of the growth. The enormously generous grant of 6.7 billion yuan ($997 million), to be released over five years, has attracted various levels of talents from out of town.

With acquisition of rich intellectual resources, Zhuhai developed more dynamically. The city's GDP climbed 8 percent in 2018, faster than that of any other Guangdong city. The rise was in part attributable to the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Press conference on release of The Zhuhai Talent Program last April

The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge beckoning talents to Zhuhai [Photos courtesy WeChat: zhuhaifabu]