At the end of 2011, China counted over 690 million urban dwellers -- or 51.27% of the country's 1.347 billion people -- according to a report this week from the National Bureau of Statistics. That marks an increase of 21 million from the previous year.
During the same period the rural population dropped by over 14 million to 656 million.
So for the first time, China's urban population now outnumbers the rural population.
"This is one of history's most important population shifts," said Aprodicio Laquian, population expert and professor emeritus at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.
"It resembles the 19th century Industrial Revolution in Europe, except that in China it's compacted into only a few decades."
Most Chinese traditionally made a living from subsistence farming.
While many still do, their ranks have significantly shrunk.
China's rapid economic growth over the past three decades has expanded the size of China's cities and towns. There are now over 160 cities in China with a population of over 1 million, according to China Today. Read More at CNN.com
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