Henan

TL;DR

6.36T yuan GDP (2024, #5); 99M+ population (#3); Zhengzhou 1.45T yuan; 134B jin grain (8 consecutive years); Foxconn 'iPhone City' assembly.

region in China

By Alex Denne

Henan's GDP reached 6.36 trillion yuan in 2024 (+5.1%), ranking 5th nationally despite being inland. Population exceeds 99 million (China's 3rd-most populous; 17th globally if independent). Zhengzhou's GDP hit 1.45 trillion yuan with 13 million permanent residents. Industrial output above designated size grew 8.1% (manufacturing +9.1%, contributing 89% of industrial growth). Grain output exceeded 134.4 billion jin for 8th consecutive year. Cotton and tobacco remain major crops; Henan is one of China's largest tobacco producers. The government is a large employer, with major sectors including manufacturing, bureaucracy, education, and construction. Zhengzhou hosts Foxconn's massive iPhone assembly facility ('iPhone City')—one of the world's largest manufacturing plants. Three cities rank in global top 140 for scientific research output: Zhengzhou (58th), Kaifeng (136th), Xinxiang (138th).

Locations in Henan

AnyangOracle bones ground up as medicine for centuries carried the world's oldest verified Chinese writing—traced to Anyang's Yin Xu, the Shang capital whose 3,300-year path dependence produced the world's longest-running script, now exported as heritage tourism.KaifengLargest city on Earth during the Song Dynasty (960-1127)—Kaifeng invented paper currency before seven Yellow River floods buried it under 10 meters of silt, demoting a global capital to a provincial tourism stop.LuoheChina's only 'Famous Food City' produces 25% of national pork output — Shuanghui's $7.1B Smithfield acquisition created a trans-Pacific protein supply chain from a Henan slaughterhouse.LuoyangCapital of 13 Chinese dynasties across 1,500 years. First Buddhist temple in China (68 CE). Longmen Grottoes: 100,000 carved Buddhas. China's first tractor factory. Peony capital draws millions annually. Now overshadowed by Zhengzhou.PingdingshanChina's 'coal storage of the center' closed 158 mines in three years—Pingdingshan races to convert ten billion tons of geological wealth into post-coal industries before depletion and talent flight hollow out a city of five million.PuyangHome to China's oldest dragon iconography (6,400 years) and Sinopec's second-largest oilfield. Puyang built an entire petrochemical economy on Zhongyuan crude—now facing the resource city's classic question as the field depletes.XuchangCao Cao's Three Kingdoms capital now produces 60% of the world's wigs — 4,000 factories, $2B in exports, and a supply chain connecting Henan to African beauty salons.ZhengzhouOne in seven smartphones worldwide is assembled where China's rail networks cross twice. Zhengzhou has been unavoidable for 3,600 years—Foxconn just proved it again.