Shanghai Class A vacancy is 19.8% with the market trending softening — pipeline visibility matters more than headline vacancy.

  • Headline vacancy: 19.8%; trend softening.
  • Trophy submarket (Lujiazui (Pudong)) typically clears at half headline vacancy.
  • New construction lead time is 36–60 months — pipeline is largely fixed for the next cycle.
  • Pre-let activity dominates the new-build pipeline.

Shanghai Class A office availability and pipeline

Shanghai Class A vacancy is 19.8% with the market trending softening — pipeline visibility matters more than headline vacancy.

TL;DR

  • Headline vacancy: 19.8%; trend softening.
  • Trophy submarket (Lujiazui (Pudong)) typically clears at half headline vacancy.
  • New construction lead time is 36–60 months — pipeline is largely fixed for the next cycle.
  • Pre-let activity dominates the new-build pipeline.

Headline vs trophy availability

Headline Shanghai Class A vacancy of 19.8% includes a long tail of older, less-amenitised stock. The trophy tier in Lujiazui (Pudong) typically clears at materially below headline.

Pipeline visibility

Construction lead times of 36–60 months mean the next cycle's supply is already largely visible. Tracked pipeline includes 4 notable assets in Shanghai.

Key facts

cityShanghai
countryChina
regionAPAC
classARentLocal880 CNY/sqft/yr
classARentUsd$122/sqft/yr
vacancy19.8%
typicalLeaseYears3
typicalRentFreeMonths8
submarkets5
primeYieldPct4.4%

Frequently asked questions

Is Shanghai Class A office tight right now?
Headline vacancy is 19.8%. Trophy is materially tighter; older Class A and Class B carry the long tail.

Editorial provenance

Reviewed by Kenji Watanabe — APAC contributing editor. Last updated 2026-04-15. See our methodology and editorial standards.

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