Speakers:
Ning Jizhe, deputy head of the Leading Group of the State Council for the Seventh National Population Census and commissioner of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS)
Li Xiaochao, director of the Office of the Leading Group of the State Council for the Seventh National Population Census and deputy commissioner of the NBS
Zeng Yuping, deputy director of the Office of the Leading Group of the State Council for the Seventh National Population Census and chief methodologist of the NBS
Zhang Yi, deputy director of the Office of the Leading Group of the State Council for the Seventh National Population Census and director-general of the Department of Population and Employment Statistics of the NBS
Chairperson:
Chen Wenjun, head of the Press Bureau of the State Council Information Office (SCIO) and spokesperson of the SCIO
Date:
May 11, 2021
Chen Wenjun:
Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. The main data of the Seventh National Population Census has recently been aggregated. At today's press conference, we have invited Ning Jizhe, deputy head of the Leading Group of the State Council for the Seventh National Population Census and commissioner of the National Bureau of Statistics of China (NBS); Li Xiaochao, director of the Office of the Leading Group of the State Council for the Seventh National Population Census and deputy commissioner of the NBS; Zeng Yuping, deputy director of the Office of the Leading Group of the State Council for the Seventh National Population Census and chief methodologist of the NBS; and Zhang Yi, deputy director of the Office of the Leading Group of the State Council for the Seventh National Population Census and director general of the Department of Population and Employment Statistics of the NBS, to attend. They will brief you on the main data and relevant issues, and also field questions.
First of all, I will give the floor to Mr. Ning to introduce the situation.
Ning Jizhe:
Under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, in line with the coordinated decisions and arrangements made by the Leading Group of the State Council for the Seventh National Population Census, with the meticulous organization and cooperative advancement of all regions and relevant government departments, the concerted efforts and dedication of all census staff as well as the joint and active participation of hundreds of millions of census respondents, the field enumeration and aggregation of the main data of the Seventh National Population Census has been successfully completed. The aim of today's press conference is to brief you on the basic introduction and main data of the census.
First, the background.
In accordance with the Statistics Law of the People's Republic of China and the Regulations on National Population Census, China carried out its Seventh National Population Census (hereinafter referred to as the census) with 12 a.m. on Nov. 1, 2020, as the reference time. The main aim of the census is to offer a comprehensive understanding of the size, structure, distribution and other aspects of China's population, so as to provide accurate statistical information support for the improvement of China's population development strategy and policy, the formulation of social and economic development plans, and the advancement of high-quality economic development.
The CPC Central Committee and the State Council attached great importance to the census. General Secretary Xi Jinping participated in the on-site census registration and delivered an important speech. The State Council established the Leading Group for the census and held several plenary sessions and teleconferences to make relevant census arrangements. All member agencies of the Leading Group and local governments at all levels meticulously organized and made concerted efforts to implement the census, with 679,000 census agencies set up at provincial, municipal, county, township and village levels across China and more than 7 million census staff recruited. Census agencies at all levels and all census staff made active efforts to overcome the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and successfully completed the field enumeration of all households and residents.
In the census, data was reported directly in real time by fully adopting digital data collection, respondents were able to fill in and submit questionnaires by scanning a QR code themselves for the first time, and the application of administrative records and big data from electricity meters and cellphones was strengthened. As a result, the quality and efficiency of the census were improved. Publicity for the census was boosted by inviting Zhong Nanshan and Yao Ming to act as ambassadors, while its slogan "Population Census, Everyone Counts," resonated powerfully with people. The census was conducted in accordance with the law and all the requirements in the census program were carefully implemented. We established a strict quality control system and improved the census data tracing and accountability mechanism. The post enumeration survey conducted in 32,000 households across 141 counties randomly selected from 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities showed that the census process was rigorous and standard, and that the census results were reliable with an undercount rate of 0.05%.
Second, main data of the census.
First, national population. The national population (Note: The national population refers to the population of the 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government and servicemen of the Chinese mainland, excluding residents of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan and foreigners living in the 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government) reached 1.41178 billion, increasing by 72.06 million compared with the population of 1.33972 billion in 2010 (data of the Sixth National Population Census), up by 5.38%. The average annual growth rate was 0.53%, down by 0.04 percentage point compared with the average annual growth rate of 0.57% from 2000 to 2010. The data shows that China's population maintained a slight growth over the past decade.
Second, population by household types. Nationwide, there were 494.16 million family households with 1,292.81 million people, and 28.53 million collective households with 118.97 million people. The average size of a family household was 2.62 people, which was 0.48 lower than the 3.1 people in 2010. Family households continued to decrease in size because of increasing population mobility and the fact that young people are living separately from their parents after marriage with improved housing conditions.
Third, population by regions. The population in the eastern region accounted for 39.93% of the total, that in the central areas accounted for 25.83%, that in the western region accounted for 27.12%, and that in the northeast of China accounted for 6.98%. Compared with the data from 2010, the proportion of the population in the eastern region increased by 2.15 percentage points, that in the central areas decreased by 0.79 percentage point, that in the western region increased by 0.22 percentage point, and that in the northeast of China decreased by 1.2 percentage points. The population further congregated in economically developed regions and city clusters.
Fourth, sex composition. Among the national population, there were 723.34 million males, accounting for 51.24%, and 688.44 million females, or 48.76%. The sex ratio (males per 100 females) was 105.07, basically the same level with a slight decline compared with 2010. The sex ratio at birth was 111.3, down by 6.8 compared with 2010. The sex composition of China continued to improve.
Fifth, age composition. There were 253.38 million people in the 0-14 age group, accounting for 17.95%; 894.38 million people aged 15-59, accounting for 63.35%; and 264.02 million people aged 60 and over, accounting for 18.7% (specifically, there were 190.64 million people aged 65 and over, or 13.5%). Compared with 2010, the proportions of people in the age groups of 0-14, 15-59, and 60 and over were up by 1.35 percentage points, down by 6.79 percentage points, and up by 5.44 percentage points, respectively. The share of children rose again, proving that the adjustments to China's fertility policy have achieved positive results. Meanwhile, the further aging of the population has imposed continued pressure on the long-term balanced development of the population in the coming period.
Six, education attainment. There were 218.36 million persons with university education. Compared with 2010, the number of people with university education went up from 8,930 persons to 15,467 persons per 100,000 persons, and the average years of schooling for people aged 15 and above increased from 9.08 years to 9.91 years. The illiteracy rate dropped from 4.08% to 2.67%. The continued improvement of the educational attainment demonstrates the achievements in promoting higher education, eradicating illiteracy among young and middle-aged adults, and raising the population quality through hard efforts over the past ten years.
Seven, urban and rural population. There were 901.99 million people living in urban areas, accounting for 63.89% of the total population, and 509.79 million people living in rural areas, accounting for 36.11%. Compared with 2010, the urban population increased by 236.42 million and the rural population decreased by 164.36 million. The shareof urban population went up by14.21 percentage points. With the in-depth development of China's new industrialization, informatization, and agricultural modernization and the implementation of policies to help people who have relocated from rural to urban areas to gain permanent urban residency, China's new urbanization has been advanced steadily and historical achievements have been made in this regard over the past ten years.
Eight, floating population. The number of people who lived in places other than their household registration areas reached 492.76 million. Specifically, 116.94 million lived in places other than their household registration areas but still in the same city and the floating population numbered375.82 million. Within the floating population, 124.84 million moved to other provinces. Compared with 2010, the number of people who live in places other than their household registration areas went up by 88.52%; the population who live in places other than their household registration areas but still in the same city increased by 192.66%; and the floating population increased by 69.73%. China's continued economic and social development has facilitated population migration and mobility, the trends of which have become increasingly evident, and the size of the migrant population has further grown.
Nine, population of ethnic groups. The population of the Han ethnic group is 1,286.31 million, accounting for 91.11% of the total population, while that of the ethnic minorities number at 125.47 million, accounting for 8.89%. Compared with 2010, the population of the Han ethnic group grew by 4.93%, while that of the ethnic minorities increased by 10.26%, and the share of the ethnic minorities increased by 0.40 percentage point. The steady increase of the population of the ethnic groups fully reflected the comprehensive development of and progress for all ethnic groups under the leadership of the Communist Party of China.
