The Pearl River Delta Metropolitan Region is the low-lying area surrounding the Pearl River estuary, where the Pearl River flows into the South China Sea. Referred to as the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macau Greater Bay Area in official documents, the region is one of the most densely populated and urbanized regions in the world, and is considered a megacity by numerous scholars. It is currently the wealthiest region in Southern China and one of the wealthiest regions in China along with the Yangtze River Delta in Eastern China and Jingjinji in Northern China. Most of the region is part of the Pearl River Delta Economic Zone, which is a special economic zone of China. The GBA's combined regional GDP was RMB¥15 trillion (US$2.1 trillion) in 2024, which was around equivalent to Spain.

The region is a megalopolis, and is at the southern end of a larger megalopolis running along the southern coast of China, which include metropolises such as Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Macau. The nine largest cities of the PRD had a combined population of 86 million in 2022; the PRD has become the largest urban area in the world in both size and population.World Bank Report Provides New Data to Help Ensure Urban Growth Benefits the Poor, The World Bank Group, 26 Jan 2015 The region's traditional language is Cantonese; in the late 20th century and the 21st century, due to the high inflow of migrant workers coming from other regions, Mandarin has gradually become a lingua franca.

The west side of this region, along with Chaoshan, was also the source of much Chinese emigration from the 19th to the mid-20th centuries, including to the Western world, where they formed many Chinatowns. Much of the Chinese diaspora in the US, Canada, Australia, Latin America, and much of Southeast Asia traces their ancestry to the west side of this region.

City Area km2 Population (2020) GDP (LCU) GDP (US$) Shenzhen 1,986 17,560,000 CN¥ 3,680 billion US$512.6 billion Guangzhou 7,434 18,676,605 CN¥ 3,103 billion US$432.2 billion Hong Kong 1,114 7,413,070 HK$3,138 billion US$401.8 billion Foshan 3,848 9,498,863 CN¥ 1,336 billion US$186.1 billion Dongguan 2,465 10,466,625 CN¥ 1,228 billion US$171.1 billion Huizhou 10,922 6,042,852 CN¥ 614 billion US$85.5 billion Zhuhai 1,724 2,439,585 CN¥ 448 billion US$62.4 billion Zhongshan 1,784 4,418,060 CN¥ 414 billion US$57.7 billion Macau 115 672,800 MOP$430 billion US$53.4 billion Jiangmen 9,535 4,798,090 CN¥ 421 billion US$58.2 billion Zhaoqing 14,891 4,113,594 CN¥ 292 billion US$40.7 billion Guangdong–Hong Kong–MacauGreater Bay Area 55,818 86,100,000 CN¥ 14.816 trillion US$2.062 trillion

Geology

Geography

The river delta, also known as the Golden Delta of Guangdong,Atlas of China, page 123 SinoMaps Press 2007 is formed by three major rivers, the Xi Jiang (West River), Bei Jiang (North River), and Dong Jiang (East River). The flat lands of the delta are criss-crossed by a network of tributaries and distributaries of the Pearl River. The Pearl River Delta is actually two alluvial deltas, separated by the core branch of the Pearl River. The Bei Jiang and Xi Jiang converge to flow into the South China Sea and Pearl River in the west, while the Dong Jiang only flows into the Pearl River proper in the east.

The Xi Jiang begins exhibiting delta-like characteristics as far west as Zhaoqing, although this city is not usually considered a part of the PRD region. After passing through the Lingyang Gorge and converging with the Bei Jiang, the Xi Jiang opens up and flows as far east as Nansha District and as far west as Xinhui. Major distributaries of the Xi include Donghui Shuidao, Jiya Shuidao, Hutiaomen Shuidao, Yinzhou Hu, and the main branch of the Xi Jiang. Jiangmen and Zhongshan are the major cities found in the western section of the delta.

The Bei Jiang enters the delta plains at Qingyuan but does not begin to split until near Sanshui. From here the two main distributaries are Tanzhou Shuidao and Shunde Shuidao which form multiple mouths along the west side of the Pearl River's estuary. Two other distributaries, and Xinan Cong, split from the Bei further north and converge with the Liuxi He to form the main branch of the Pearl River just north of Guangzhou. The other major city in the north section of the delta is Foshan.

The Dong Jiang flows through Huizhou into the delta. It begins diverging northeast of Dongguan into many distributaries, including the Dongguan Shuidao. Distributaries enter the Pearl River as far north as Luogang and as far south as Hu Men (Tiger Gate).

Saltwater crocodiles were present within the Pearl River estuary during antiquity.

Location and demographics

As well as the delta itself, the term Pearl River Delta refers to the dense network of cities that covers nine prefectures of the province of Guangdong, namely Dongguan, Foshan, Guangzhou, Huizhou, Jiangmen, Shenzhen, Zhaoqing, Zhongshan and Zhuhai and the SARs of Hong Kong and Macau. The 2010/2011 State of the World Cities report, published by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, estimates the population of the delta region at 120 million people; it is rapidly urbanising.

The eastern side of the PRD (Shenzhen, Dongguan), dominated by foreign capital, is the most developed economically. The western areas (Foshan, Zhuhai, Zhongshan, Jiangmen), dominated by local private capital, are open for development. New transport links between Hong Kong, Macau and Zhuhai in the PRD are expected to open up new areas for development, further integrate the cities, and facilitate trade within the region. The Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge, and the Shenzhen–Zhongshan Bridge, are amongst the longest bridges in the world with a total length of approximately each.

Until 1985, the PRD had been mainly dominated by farms and small rural villages, but after the economy was reformed and opened, a flood of investment turned it into the land's economic powerhouse. The PRD's startling growth was fueled by foreign investment coming largely from Hong Kong manufacturers that moved their operations into the PRD. In 2003, Hong Kong companies employed 11 million workers in their PRD operations. Since 2011, the region has experienced a severe labor shortage due to rapid economic growth, resulting in wages rising by approximately 20% to 30% between 2011 and 2012. Household survey data confirmed this upward wage trend. Between 2011 (the year official household disposable income data was updated) and 2013, domestic household disposable income per capita increased by more than a quarter, exceeding the 19% growth rate of nominal GDP per capita. Therefore, the share of labor compensation in GDP appears to have increased, while companies face profit pressure.

Economy

The Pearl River Delta has been one of the most economically dynamic regions of the People's Republic of China since the launch of China's reform programme in 1979. With annual gross domestic product growth of 13.45 percent over three decades since 1978, it is 3.5 percentage points higher than the national average. Since 1978 almost 30 percent of all foreign investment in China was in the PRD. In 2007 its GDP rose to US$448 billion which makes its economy about the size of Taiwan's and by 2019 this figure has increased to US$2.0 trillion or about the same size as Canada. The abundance of employment opportunities created a pool of wealthy, middle-income, professional consumers with an annual per capita income that puts them among China's wealthiest. Since the onset of China's reform program, the Pearl River Delta Economic Zone has been the fastest growing portion of the fastest growing province in the fastest growing large economy in the world.

The industrial cities in the Pearl River Delta have been called the "Factory of the World" or the "World's Factory" due to the presence of industrial parks populated with factories from foreign investments. However, the target market of the delta region's exports has become increasingly domestic rather than foreign. Dongguan, Zhongshan, Nanhai, and Shunde are the four cities known as the Four Guangdong Dragons for their high growth rates and rapid development from late the 1980s to the 2000s.

Although the Pearl River Delta Economic Zone encompasses only 0.4 percent of the land area and only 3.2 percent of the 2000 census population of mainland China, it accounted for 8.7 percent of GDP, 35.8 percent of total trade, and 29.2 percent of utilised foreign capital in 2001. By 2016 the Pearl River Delta accounted for 9.1 percent of China's GDP. These figures show the remarkable level of economic development to which the Pearl River Delta has been subjected in order to become an 'Economic Zone', as well as the international orientation of the region's economy. This orientation has attracted numerous investors from all over the world who use the Greater Pearl River Delta region as a platform for serving global and Chinese markets.

The economic recession and structural crisis in the Pearl River Delta began around 2008, triggered by the global financial crisis. This major shock exposed deeper challenges such as rising local costs and declining overseas demand.

As of 2008, the Central Government has introduced new labor laws, environmental and other regulations to reduce pollution, industrial disputes, produce safer working conditions and protect the environment. The costs of producing low margin and commodity goods have increased. This is on top of the rising cost for energy, food, transport and the appreciation of the renminbi against the falling US dollar. Some manufacturers will need to cut costs by moving up the value chain or moving to more undeveloped regions.China's low costs are on the rise dallasnews.com 2008-08-19 Retrieved 2010-01-09

In 2025, Guangdong Province, China's largest regional economy, is projected to grow at 3.9%, below the official target and significantly below the national average. As China's largest manufacturing hub, Guangdong's sluggish real estate market continues to negatively impact its economic development.

Significance of PRD

The Pearl River Delta established itself as the factory location of choice for global companies that were headquartered in Hong Kong in the 1980s. The industrial output of the Pearl River Delta was generated in the main by state-owned enterprises. Meanwhile, the industrial output of collective-owned enterprises diminished over time, with private enterprises and joint ventures increasing their share of the Pearl River Delta's industrial output to 37.5 percent by the mid-1990s.

Today urban areas with the assistance of the municipal governments in the Pearl River Delta are attempting to rebrand industrial output as originating from "the world's tech lab" or "design studio". The Pearl River Delta has become the world's workshop and is a major manufacturing base for products such as electronics, garments and textiles, plastic products, and a range of other goods.

Private-owned enterprises have developed quickly in the Pearl River Delta Economic Zone and are playing an increasing role in the region's economy, particularly after year 2000 when the development environment for private-owned enterprises has been greatly relaxed.

In 2001 nearly five percent of the world's goods were produced in the Greater Pearl River Delta, with a total export value of US$289 billion. Over 70,000 Hong Kong companies had factory plants in the Greater Pearl River Delta.

Container shipping

In the Pearl River Delta an extensive system of container feeder shipping has been established. This system of containerization also serves ports within the same region. The container port of Shenzhen has surpassed Hong Kong as major hub with Guangzhou serving as another significant container shipping hub for the Pearl River Delta.

Transportation

Urban rail transport