China to Fully Revise Birth Policy This Fall (Comprehensive)

China's population at 1.41177 billion... Decline in labor force and aging confirmed
Greater China including Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macao totals 1.44349 billion people

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] Contrary to forecasts that China's population would decline, it has been found to have increased.

China's National Bureau of Statistics officially announced on the 11th that the total population of China last year was 1,411,778,724. The nationwide male population was 723,339,956, and the female population was 688,438,768. This statistic is the result of the 7th National Population Census conducted in November last year. China conducts a nationwide population census once every ten years.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

China's population increased by 5.38% compared to 1,339,724,852 at the end of 2010, ten years ago. The male-to-female ratio showed a male majority with males accounting for 51.24% and females 48.76%, maintaining the male-biased phenomenon. The sex ratio (number of males per 100 females) was 105.07, an improvement from 105.20 in 2010.

By age group, those aged 14 and under accounted for 17.95%, those aged 15 to 59 were 63.35%, and those aged 60 and over were 18.7%. Compared to ten years ago, the 15 to 59 age group decreased by 6.79 percentage points, and the 60 and over group increased by 5.44 percentage points, confirming the progression of aging.

Education levels have improved compared to ten years ago. The number of people with a university education was found to be 218.36 million. The number of university graduates per 100,000 people increased from 8,930 to 15,467 over ten years. The average years of schooling increased from 9.08 years to 9.91 years, and the illiteracy rate dropped from 4.08% to 2.67%.

China is also experiencing rapid urbanization. Among the total population, 901.99 million people (63.89%) live in urban areas, nearly twice the rural population of 597.9 million (36.11%). Over ten years, the urban population increased by 236.42 million, while the rural population decreased by 164.36 million.

Regarding ethnic composition, the Han ethnicity accounted for 1,286,310,000 people, representing 91.11% of the total, while ethnic minorities numbered 125,470,000 (8.89%). Compared to ten years ago, the Han population increased by 4.93%, and ethnic minorities increased by 10.26%.

By province, Guangdong and Shandong had the largest populations with 126,012,510 and 101,527,453 respectively, and the population of the capital Beijing was recorded at 21,893,095.

Although China's population has increased, the statistics confirm that declining birth rates and rapid aging pose a risk of a population cliff. The state-run Global Times reported that population decline could begin as early as 2022.

Demographer He Yafu recently predicted that the gap between the number of deaths and newborns has narrowed in recent years and that deaths may exceed births in 2022. He also stated that the Chinese government may completely abolish birth restriction policies as early as this fall.

The Global Times expressed concern that China's labor force will rapidly decline and aging will intensify over the next ten years.

Meanwhile, including Hong Kong (7,474,200), Macau (683,218), and Taiwan (23,561,236), the total population of the Greater China region was recorded at 1,443,497,378.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.