Head to head · 2025
Guilin vs Liuzhou
Guangxi's two mid-size cities: Liuzhou's industry against Guilin's visitor economy, neither with policy access.
Guilin leads by 5.4 points. The gap comes mostly from digital reach (18.8 points).
| Metric | Guilin | Liuzhou |
|---|---|---|
| Entry index0–100, relative to the scored set | 18.6 | 13.2 |
| Rankof 51 scored cities | #49 | #50 |
| Digital reach | 51.2 | 32.4 |
| Consumer depth | 2.2 | 4.8 |
| Market scale | 10.4 | 8.4 |
| Policy access | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Population | 5.0M | 4.2M |
| GDP | $38B | $43B |
| GDP per resident | ¥54.5k | ¥73.5k |
| Disposable incomeurban residents, per year | ¥37.0k | ¥40.0k |
| Real GDP growth | 4% | 3% |
| WeChat penetration% of internet users | 92% | 92% |
| Douyin penetration% of internet users | 83% | 81% |
| Xiaohongshu penetration% of internet users | 45% | 37% |
Where the scores separate
- Digital reach: Guilin leads Liuzhou by 18.8 points (51.2 against 32.4).
Pillar scores are percentile ranks inside the published set; policy is scored on an absolute 0–100 scale. A gap under three points should not drive a decision. How the index is built.
Guilin 桂林
Guangxi · T3 · south
Key industries
Tourism (Li River, ka… · Food & beverage (Guil… · Pharmaceuticals · Machinery & electroni…
Commercial districts
Zhengyang Pedestrian Street, Two Rivers & Four Lakes area, Yangshuo West Street (tourism), Lingui New District.
Consumption profile
China's most famous karst-tourism destination, drawing domestic and inbound visitors year-round. Strong travel, hotel and F&B spend; smaller but younger urban consumption base.
Full Guilin profile →Liuzhou 柳州
Guangxi · T3 · south
Key industries
Automotive (SAIC-GM-W… · Steel (Liugang) · Construction machinery · Food (luosifen river-…
Commercial districts
Chengzhong District CBD, Liudong New District, Yufeng (industry), Liunan.
Consumption profile
Industrial city whose luosifen (river-snail rice noodles) became a national e-commerce phenomenon - a rare food-brand export success story. Value-conscious but digitally engaged consumers.
Full Liuzhou profile →Questions people ask
- Is Guilin or Liuzhou the better first city for a brand?
- Guilin scores 18.6 and Liuzhou scores 13.2 on the YIVA China City Entry Index, out of a 51-city set. Guilin leads overall. The score compares reach, spending power, size and policy access only — it cannot see competition, media cost or whether your category has demand in either city, so treat it as a shortlist filter rather than a verdict.
- Which is bigger, Guilin or Liuzhou?
- By gross regional product, Liuzhou is larger ($43B against $38B) and has a population of 5.0M versus 4.2M for Guilin. Market size is only 25% of the entry index.
- Are these scores comparable with last year's?
- No. Digital reach, consumer depth and market scale are percentile ranks within the published city set, so adding or removing a city moves every score. Compare two cities inside the same release, never across releases.
Other comparisons
Cite this page
YIVA Digital. “Guilin vs Liuzhou: China City Entry Index comparison.” YIVA Digital, 2025. https://yivadigital.com/tool/china-market-guide/compare/guilin-vs-liuzhou
Scores are relative to the published city set in this release and are not comparable across releases.