The Floating Population of Shanghai in the Mid-1990s

The purpose of this paper is to profile the floating population of China's largest city, Shanghai, based upon one of the most representative data sets available, and to estimate the relative size and characteristics of the major groups of this migrant population. The data permit separation of rural labor migrants from other categories of the floating population such as students, tourists, relatives on social visits, and business people from outside Shanghai. From 61 to 78 percent of the floating population can be classified as rural labor migrants. Particular attention is given to the demographic and occupational characteristics of this stigmatized group, as well as to the factors influencing their duration of stay in the city.