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Abstract Regional collaborative development mainly emphasizes the relationship and degree of connection between cities. Linkages among cities are more complex and diversified in the age of globalization, so that regional economic collaborative development has become even more important than ever. Domestic and foreign competition must be dealt with to enhance the comprehensive strengths of urban agglomeration. This study takes the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) as a representative case to analyze and evaluate the economic synergistic development capacities of the Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration (YRDUA). Location quotients and industrial structure similarity coefficients show that cities with high levels of economic development provide advantages for secondary and tertiary industries, while cities with relatively low economic development levels provide clearer advantages for primary industries. Regarding the movement of the economic barycenter from 2001 to 2016, the overall directional trend was towards the northwest cities. The strength of economic linkages between cities is closely related to distance, population, and levels of economic development. The degree of economic development directly affects the capacity of collaborative development among cities, which then influences the extent of regional collaborative development. Highlights • Yangtze River Delta (YRD) collaborative economic development is progressing. • Economic linkage strength is dependent on distance, population, and economic development levels. • Cities vary depending on primary, secondary, and tertiary development levels. • Development of tertiary industry is key to urban agglomeration. • Coordinated and integrated economic development is essential across industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]