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 In 2004, China's natural population growth continued to decline. At the end of the year, the population on China's mainland totaled 1,299.88 million. There were 542.83 million urban residents, accounting for 41.8 percent of the total population, and 757.05 million rural residents, making up 58.2 percent. Of the total population, 669.76 million were males, while 630.12 million were females. People in the age group of 0-14 constituted 21.5 percent; those in the age group of 15-64, 70.9 percent; and people aged 65 and over, 7.6 percent. The number of elderly people reached 98.57 million. The year 2004 saw 15.93 million newborns nationwide, representing a birth rate of 12.29 per thousand, and 8.32 million deaths, a mortality rate of 6.42 per thousand. The year's net population growth stood at 7.61 million people, a natural growth rate of 5.87 per thousand, down by 0.014 percentage points.
The family planning policy has seen remarkable achievements. For instance,
Shanghai, the largest Chinese city, has witnessed negative population growth
for more than 10 years in succession. In 2004, the city's birth rate was
six per thousand and its natural population growth was -- 1.2 per thousand. |
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