Head to head · 2025
Wuhu vs Hefei
Identical disposable income, a third of the population: what Hefei's tech base buys.
Hefei leads by 18.1 points. The gap comes mostly from market scale (54.0 points).
| Metric | Wuhu | Hefei |
|---|---|---|
| Entry index0–100, relative to the scored set | 35.1 | 53.2 |
| Rankof 51 scored cities | #34 | #18 |
| Digital reach | 33.1 | 47.3 |
| Consumer depth | 57.2 | 58.3 |
| Market scale | 14.0 | 68.0 |
| Policy access | 30.0 | 30.0 |
| Population | 3.7M | 9.8M |
| GDP | $72B | $200B |
| GDP per resident | ¥136.9k | ¥144.3k |
| Disposable incomeurban residents, per year | ¥48.0k | ¥48.0k |
| Real GDP growth | 7% | 6% |
| WeChat penetration% of internet users | 92% | 93% |
| Douyin penetration% of internet users | 80% | 79% |
| Xiaohongshu penetration% of internet users | 38% | 42% |
Where the scores separate
- Market scale: Hefei leads Wuhu by 54.0 points (68.0 against 14.0).
- Digital reach: Hefei leads Wuhu by 14.2 points (47.3 against 33.1).
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.
Wuhu 芜湖
Anhui · T3 · east
Key industries
Automotive (Chery) · Robotics & smart equi… · Building materials (C… · E-commerce (Sankuai)
Commercial districts
Jinghu New District, Wuhu Economic & Technological Development Zone, Zhongshan Road (old CBD).
Consumption profile
Fast-growing Anhui industrial city in the Yangtze Delta cluster. Chery and the robot industry lift incomes; e-commerce penetration is rising quickly.
Full Wuhu profile →Hefei 合肥
Anhui · T1_5 · east
Key industries
New energy vehicles (… · Semiconductors · Quantum tech · Home appliances (BOE)
Commercial districts
Hefei Binhu CBD, Wanda Plaza, Yaohai district.
Consumption profile
China's fastest-rising tech city ('the city that dares to invest'). Young tech workforce with rising premium consumption.
Full Hefei profile →Questions people ask
- Is Wuhu or Hefei the better first city for a brand?
- Wuhu scores 35.1 and Hefei scores 53.2 on the YIVA China City Entry Index, out of a 51-city set. Hefei 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, Wuhu or Hefei?
- By gross regional product, Hefei is larger ($200B against $72B) and has a population of 3.7M versus 9.8M for Wuhu. 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. “Wuhu vs Hefei: China City Entry Index comparison.” YIVA Digital, 2025. https://yivadigital.com/tool/china-market-guide/compare/wuhu-vs-hefei
Scores are relative to the published city set in this release and are not comparable across releases.