Market Research Companies in Guangzhou

Key figures for researchers

Resident population

19.10 million, up 123,000 in a year (end of 2025)¹

Registered (hukou) population

10.91 million (end of 2025)¹

Growth

+47.05% between the 2010 and 2020 censuses²

Migrant population

9,378,825 (2020 census)³

Urbanisation

87.56% (2025)¹

Households

2.22 people per family household (2020 census)²

Districts

11; the most populous are Baiyun (3.67 million), Panyu (2.82 million) and Tianhe (2.24 million) (end of 2023)⁴

Area and density

7,434.40 km², 2,532 people per km²; from 28,402 in Yuexiu to 371 in Conghua (2023)⁵

Disposable income

80,591 yuan per resident, up 3.6% (2025)¹

5G users

25.085 million (end of 2025)¹

Research guide

Research landscape

Guangzhou is one of the main bases of the research industry in China, with Shanghai and Beijing: local agencies, offices of international networks, qualitative and B2B specialists, field suppliers and focus group facilities.

The city is one of the four core cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, with Hong Kong, Macao and Shenzhen, a region of over 88 million people. National rules on personal data, data transfers abroad and foreign-related surveys apply in full: see the China guide.

Who you will interview

Guangzhou had 19.10 million residents at the end of 2025, of whom 10.91 million held a local hukou (household registration). At the 2020 census, 9,378,825 residents were migrants, living away from their place of registration, and the population had grown by 47.05% in ten years. Hukou status, years in Guangzhou and place of origin are therefore useful quota or profiling variables.

In daily life most people in Guangzhou speak Cantonese (Yue), and the city also promotes Putonghua (Mandarin). Questionnaires are written in Simplified Chinese and usually administered in Mandarin; a Cantonese-speaking moderator helps with long-established and older residents.

Fieldwork in practice

The city has 11 districts. The most populous at the end of 2023 were Baiyun (3.67 million), Panyu (2.82 million) and Tianhe (2.24 million). Density ranges from 28,402 people per km² in central Yuexiu to 371 in Conghua, the largest district by area (1,974.50 km²). A sample drawn only from the centre misses much of the population: spread interviews across central and outer districts.

87.56% of residents live in urban areas, households are small (2.22 people on average in 2020) and there were 25.085 million 5G users at the end of 2025. Online surveys designed for smartphones are the usual choice for consumers; face-to-face interviews, central location tests or telephone help reach older and less connected residents.

Focus groups and qualitative research

In-person focus groups and in-depth interviews are usually held in dedicated facilities with a one-way mirror and video streaming. Choose the location according to the target, and allow travel time for respondents from outer districts such as Panyu, Huadu or Zengcheng.

Ask the agency for its Guangzhou incentive levels, recruitment lead times and moderators’ languages (Mandarin, Cantonese or both), and how it checks that respondents match the profile (hukou, district, age). For recordings and any transfer of video or personal data outside China, follow the PIPL rules described in the China guide.

Timing

Guangzhou has a subtropical monsoon climate with over 1,600 mm of rain a year in the urban area. The South China pre-flood season usually runs from April to June, peaking from late May to mid-June (“dragon-boat water”), and the post-flood season from July to September, when typhoons become the main source of rain. Rainstorms and typhoon warnings can disrupt travel and in-person sessions: keep spare days in the schedule.

The Canton Fair is held in Guangzhou every spring and autumn; the autumn 2026 session runs in three phases from 15 October to 4 November. Check the official dates of the spring 2027 session before booking venues, B2B interviews or travel. Also avoid Spring Festival (6 February in 2027), when many migrants return home, the Labour Day break (1–5 May in 2026) and the National Day Golden Week (1–7 October), and check the State Council calendar for make-up working days.

Working with a Guangzhou agency

• Share a clear brief: objectives, target, sample size, districts, method, languages and deadline.
• Ask how the agency spreads interviews across central and outer districts, and reaches migrants and older residents.
• Agree whether moderation is in Mandarin, Cantonese or both.
• For focus groups, ask for the facility address, viewing room capacity, streaming options and incentive levels.
• Ask whether the agency holds a foreign-related survey licence and how personal data will be handled and transferred (see the China guide).
• Plan around Spring Festival, Golden Week and the Canton Fair.
• Compare several proposals: you can send one request to up to 5 Guangzhou companies from this page.

National rules (data protection, holidays, sampling across regions) are covered in our guide to market research in China.