China's Population Actually Increased... 1.41178 Billion as of Last Year

China National Bureau of Statistics Reports Increase of 11.73 Million Compared to Last Year Amid Decline Concerns
Pronounced Male Surplus... 723.33 Million Males, 688.43 Million Females

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] The National Bureau of Statistics of China officially announced on the 11th that the total population of China last year was 1,411.78 million. This is an increase of 11.73 million compared to 1,400.5 million the previous year. The nationwide male population is 723.339956 million, and the female population is 688.438768 million, the National Bureau of Statistics added. This statistic is the result of the 7th National Population Census of China conducted in November last year. China conducts a nationwide population census every 10 years.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The global community has been keenly attentive to this statistical announcement because China's population is a variable in the low-wage labor market. Except for 2016, when the Chinese government abolished the 'one-child' policy introduced in 1978, the annual population growth rate has been shrinking. In fact, the official population of China in 2016 was 1,382.71 million, an increase of 8.09 million from the previous year. However, in 2017, it increased by 7.37 million compared to the previous year, and in 2018 and 2019, it only increased by 5.3 million and 4.67 million, respectively.

The population decline is also related to China's birth rate. As of the end of 2019, the number of newborns in China was 14.65 million. The birth rate was only 10.48 per 1,000 people. This was the lowest in 70 years. The birth rate, which was 20.91% in 1981, has been declining every year to 11.90% in 2010, 12.37% in 2015, and 10.94% in 2018.

The state-run Global Times reported that before the official announcement of statistics by Chinese authorities, the population of 14 cities in the northeastern region of China decreased last year. The media reported that the population of five cities in the three northeastern provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning decreased. It also stated that major cities in the relatively developed eastern regions such as Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shandong provinces also experienced population decline, forecasting that the population in these areas will begin to decrease significantly from 2022.