What Are the Disparities in Spatiotemporal Patterns Between Urban and Rural Well-Being? Evidence from a Rapidly Urbanizing Region in China

Enhancing human well-being is a core priority of the Sustainable Development Goals. Understanding urban–rural well-being disparities is crucial for bridging gaps and improving social harmony. However, most existing studies focus on either urban or rural residents’ well-being, neglecting their disparities. This study quantified and compared the spatiotemporal patterns of the well-being of urban and rural residents in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) urban agglomeration from 2000 to 2020 using the human development index (HDI). Results show the following: (1) Urban and rural well-being improved markedly from 2000 to 2020, with urban HDI increasing from 0.66 to 0.83 and rural HDI from 0.55 to 0.74. (2) Urban education and rural income inequalities were more pronounced, with the average Gini coefficients over 2000–2020 more than threefold and twofold those of urban and rural health, respectively. (3) Although disparities existed between urban and rural well-being, rural HDI had grown faster between 2000 and 2020, narrowing the urban–rural gap. From 2000 to 2020, the growth rate for rural HDI (34.55%) exceeded that for urban HDI (27.13%). To foster the shared urban and rural well-being, this study recommends diversifying rural industries, optimizing educational resources, and enhancing rural healthcare infrastructure in the YRD and beyond.