The coastal urban agglomeration is the engine of China' s regional economic growth and the hub of international trade and studying its population distribution is of great significance for the rational layout of productivity. The article uses research methods such as offset share method, population distribution structure index, population geographic concentration, and panel data measurement to study the characteristics and driving factors of population distribution patterns in China' s coastal urban agglomerations from 2010 to 2019. The results show that: (1) the population density distribution of coastal urban agglomerations in China is rugby shaped, with significant differences in population among different urban agglomerations; (2) Highly urbanized and economically developed urban agglomerations are more likely to attract population agglomeration, and the population distribution is relatively more balanced; (3) The degree of urban development, level of urban economic development, differences in public goods, employment security, medical level, and product price differences are the main driving factors for population distribution. Among them, the degree of urban development, level of urban economic development, differences in public goods, employment security, and medical level have a significant promoting effect on the population distribution index, while product price differences have a negative driving effect on the population distribution index; (4) The spatial difference analysis found that the driving factors of population distribution in China' s coastal urban agglomerations are quite heterogeneous, with significant individual differences in urban agglomerations.
