Beijing is on track to have one CCTV camera for nearly every two people as the Communist Party pushes for Big-Brother-style state surveillance.

The country's 1.4 billion population are set to be carefully watched by 626 million street monitors - many having facial-recognition functions - as early as next year, a new study has revealed.

China also has the five most-monitored cities in the world, the report finds. Its most-surveilled city, Chongqing, is equipped with more than 2.5 million street cameras, or one for every six people.

China has the five most-monitored cities in the world. Pictured, a security camera is seen in Shenzhen, the second most-surveilled city on the list with more than 1.9 million CCTV cameras

According to the report, the world's five most-monitored cities are Chongqing, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Tianjin and Ji'nan in order.

Millions banned from trains and planes in China Beijing's social credit system has blocked 'untrustworthy' passengers from taking 2.56 million flights and 90,000 high-speed train journeys in July alone. More than 630,000 individuals were discredited and added to a national blacklist last month, the country's the nation's social credit watchdog said. As of March, 13.49 million Chinese citizens have been classified as untrustworthy throughout the country. The latest figures were released by China's National Development and Reform Commission on Friday. Advertisement

Three other Chinese cities - Wuhan, Guangzhou and Beijing - have made it to the top 10 list published by technology research firm Comparitech.

In Shenzhen, a city with 12 million residents, there is one street camera for every 6.3 people.

The city, which borders Hong Kong, plans to have more than 16 million cameras installed in the coming years.

The figure is a 1,145 per cent increase on the approximately 1.9 million cameras they city has today, the report claims.

While in the country's financial heart Shanghai, every 8.8 residents are watched by one security camera.

Paul Bischoff, author of the paper, told MailOnline: 'China is rapidly adopting CCTV surveillance as a means to monitor the movements of its population at a huge scale.

'CCTV in China is not just about stopping crime, but also enforcing social norms and behaviors that the government approves of.'

The world's five most-monitored cities are Chongqing, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Tianjin and Ji'nan

The two other cities on the top 10 list are London, with more than 627 million cameras, and Atlanta in the United States.

China has been building a mass surveillance network, which currently boasts about 200 million AI-powered cameras. The number of cameras is set to triple by 2020.

The surveillance network has been billed as the world's most powerful facial-recognition system and aims to identify any one of its 1.4 billion citizens within three seconds.

Critics, however, have voiced concerns over the system, claiming it's a way for the government to invade citizens' privacy and restrict their freedom.

Many have also compared it to a dystopian system run by a fictional state leader, Big Brother, in George Orwell's novel 'Nineteen Eighty-Four'.

China's 1.4 billion population are set to be carefully watched by 626 million street monitors - many having facial-recognition functions - as early as next year, according to a survey

In financial hub Shanghai (pictured), every 8.8 residents are watched by one security camera

China's surveillance network also supports the nation's social credit system, which rates its citizens based on their daily behaviour.

Once complete next year, the national system could determine how easy a citizen could rent a flat, buy travel tickets or pay for a cup of tea.

The system will help the country restore morality, according to China's state-run newspaper Global Times.

Latest statistics show the Chinese social credit system blocked what it called 'discredited entities' from taking 2.56 million flights and 90,000 high-speed train journeys in July alone.