Thought it was crowded enough here? Shanghai's population is only set to grow, with the city's Population and Family Planning Commission estimating that it will reach 21.4 million in 2015 and 22.5 million in 2020. But officials assure us that more people doesn't mean less space - apparently the density of the Inner Ring Road area has actually been dropping the past five years (though that might have to do more with apartment complexes crowding out lane neighborhoods). more ›

Despite the rise in cancer rates and the threat of swine flu, it seems that Shanghainese people on average are living longer. The life expectancy of a person in the city has now risen to 81.73 years, eclipsing the record of 81.28 just set last year. As per the rest of the world, females here tend to live longer than males, living an average of 84.06 years compared to the regular guy's 79.42. The local government says this longevity is due to increased medical capabilities - besides old people being able to get older, the infant and maternal mortality rates have also dropped to developed nation levels. Now let's just hope that the success we've gotten in Shanghai can be replicated in the rest of the country, where the average lifespan is roughly five years less. more ›

Shanghai made it to the top of China's list of fastest developing cities in 2009, beating out Beijing and Tianjin by a pretty wide margin both in terms of population and GDP per capita. According to China.org.cn, the cities were evaluated on a "comprehensive assessment basis" that took into acount the size of the economy, number of employed, and location and infrastructure, as well as financial things we don't quite understand - like fixed assets investment, gross output of industrial enterprises, etc. But don't pat yourself on the back just yet - we haven't gotten top spot in everything. Says Shanghai Daily, we're only third in China for efficiency of public services, despite spending the most out of anyone on that sector. Better get to fixing that, Shanghai - there's no place like first place! more ›