Citing figures from the Beijing Statistics Bureau, the paper said that the average life expectancy of Beijingers in 2000 stood at 76.7, slightly higher than the previous census in 1990.

Statistics acquired during the fifth national census in 2000 revealed that the city's juvenile population aged under 14 had dwindled from 2.181 million in 1990 to 1.844 million.

The biggest increase lay in the active labor force which climbed to 9.602 million, who made up 70.8 percent of the city's total population. The number of labor force showed an increase of 2.427 million over 1990. The average age edged up from 33.9 in 1990 to 34.7 in 2000.

The active labor force is comprised of men aged between 16 and 59 and women aged between 16 and 54.

In 2000, the city's population aged over 60 was 1.702 million, about 12.5 percent of the total and 2.4 percent higher than 1990.

(Xinhua News Agency May 27, 2002)