On The Road Series
Hukou Difficulty Index
China's household registration system (hukou) determines access to urban services. Our index measures how difficult it is to obtain local hukou across China's cities.
300M+
Migrant Workers
50+
Cities Indexed
15
Criteria Measured
2024
Latest Update
City Difficulty Rankings
Higher scores indicate greater difficulty in obtaining local hukou. Tier 1 cities impose the strictest requirements.
#1
Beijing
Tier 195
Difficulty Score
Population: 21.5M
#2
Shanghai
Tier 192
Difficulty Score
Population: 24.9M
#3
Shenzhen
Tier 178
Difficulty Score
Population: 17.6M
#4
Guangzhou
Tier 175
Difficulty Score
Population: 18.7M
#5
Hangzhou
New Tier 162
Difficulty Score
Population: 12.2M
#6
Chengdu
New Tier 155
Difficulty Score
Population: 21.0M
#7
Wuhan
Tier 248
Difficulty Score
Population: 12.3M
#8
Changsha
Tier 235
Difficulty Score
Population: 10.5M
Methodology
The Hukou Difficulty Index aggregates 15 criteria including education requirements, property ownership, social insurance duration, talent preferences, and point-based system thresholds.
Cities are scored on a 0-100 scale, with higher scores indicating more restrictive policies. The index is updated annually based on official city regulations.