Want to know why there are so many cameras in China?

According to statistics and public data, China has over 700 million surveillance cameras in 2026, while China’s population is only about 1.4 billion. China is also considered the country with the most cameras in the world.

In China, Shanghai has 15.06 million cameras, the highest number among all Chinese cities. Shanghai’s permanent population is 24.8 million, which means there is about one camera for every 1.6 residents.

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So why are there so many cameras in China?

In 2013, there were only about 20 million cameras in China. Ten years have passed. Why did the number of cameras grow so fast?

Based on what I have researched, the most reliable explanation is that the Chinese government wants to maintain peace. With cameras, there are fewer crimes and fewer robberies.

The Upside

With so many cameras in China today, there are both upsides and downsides.

People can walk on the street at midnight without worrying about their safety, unlike walking on the streets of New York City at midnight.

The camera behind you is protecting you.

For example, imagine you left your wallet in a square. A police officer asks you about it.

Then the police officer accesses the camera footage from that square and finds that your wallet was picked up by a kid.

In the end, you and the police officer go to the kid’s house and get it back.

The Downside

But there is also a downside to cameras.

Every time you walk outside, you see cameras everywhere. You feel your privacy is being violated.

For example, you are playing in front of a building with your brother and speaking very loudly, but you think it is okay.

Suddenly, a tall guy appears in front of you and shouts:

“Get out of this area!”

You wonder why, because you don’t think you were being loud enough.

But when you look up and catch a glimpse of the CCTV camera, you figure it out.

Why Did the Number of Cameras Grow So Fast?

As the cost of producing cameras became lower and AI appeared, things changed.

Before, people had to sit behind a computer to watch you. If they wanted to know what had happened before, they had to check the history manually.

Right now, AI can automatically recognize your movements, predict what you are going to do, and then issue an early warning.

With more and more AI involved, and as the cost of cameras became lower over the years, that is why the number of cameras in China grew so quickly.

What Do Ordinary Chinese People Think?

So how do ordinary people in China think about this? And how do Western people think about this?

In China, people have already gotten used to it.

Most people born after 2000 grew up in an environment full of CCTV cameras. They think other countries do the same thing as China.

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Because to some extent, cameras really do help keep people safe. They don’t feel weird about them.

I once interviewed a local vendor who sells shoes in a local market in Wuhan.

“What do you think of the cameras? Do you like them?” I asked.

“I think it’s fine,” she said. “The cameras help scare off thieves. They have a warning effect.”

Look, in China, many people think it is really fine.

But Some People Still Hate Cameras

But there are still some people who hate cameras.

Mr. Wang was caught cheating by his wife.

One day, Mr. Wang’s wife noticed that he had been coming home very late and wondered why. So she decided to access the neighborhood cameras.

She went to the security guard room to check the camera footage and found out that these days, her husband was usually sent home by a female colleague before entering the building.

Mr. Wang felt very depressed. He even uploaded his complaint on TikTok, which is called Douyin in China.

But instead of sympathizing with him, many people chose to laugh at him.

Another thing is that in China, some people are closely watched by the authorities, such as people with criminal records or people who have been accused of stealing before.

In the past, when they went somewhere, they had to report to the police.

But right now, with cameras everywhere, their footsteps can be tracked by the cameras.

They don’t have to report anymore.

How Do I Think About Cameras?

How do I think about cameras?

Talking about this topic, I used to work in the cybersecurity industry, so we dealt with cameras very often.

Yes, for an ordinary person in China, you don’t have to worry about cameras if you are not doing anything wrong.

Cameras are just a way to protect you and make you feel safer.

There is no one watching you behind a computer through the camera and reporting to his supervisor:

“Sir, this guy just went to the bathroom.”

“Sir, this guy is having dinner.”

No need to worry at all.

But we do have something to worry about.

Because the number of cameras is so huge, there are still many old cameras being used. Some old models have vulnerabilities that have not been fixed yet.

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Hackers can easily hack those cameras.

So behind the camera, it may not be a police officer who is kind and trying to protect you. It may be an evil hacker who is trying to know your daily routine and rob you.

What About Tourists?

As more and more tourists visit China, even though they have done some research online about Chinese cameras, they still feel shocked and uncomfortable.

But after living in China for a while, when they find that someone can leave a laptop outside on the ground and no one steals it, they will know why.