China's population drops by 2.08 mln in 2023 compared to previous year

(ECNS)-- The total population of the Chinese mainland (including 31 provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities, and the population of active-duty military personnel) was 1,409.67 million by the end of 2023, a decrease of 2.08 million compared to the end of the previous year, said an official at a press conference in Beijing on Wednesday.

The annual birth population was 9.02 million, with a birth rate of 0.64 percent; the death population was 11.10 million, with a death rate of 0.79 percent, and the natural population growth rate was minus 0.148 percent, said Kang Yi, director of the National Bureau of Statistics.

In terms of gender composition, the male population was 720.32 million, the female population 689.35 million, and the overall male-female gender ratio 104.49 to 100.

The population aged between 16 and 59 years old was 864.81 million, accounting for 61.3 percent of the total; the population aged 60 and above was 296.97 million, accounting for 21.1 percent, of which the population aged 65 and above was 216.76 million, accounting for 15.4 percent. 

In terms of urban-rural composition, the urban permanent population was 932.67 million, an increase of 11.96 million compared to the end of the previous year; the rural permanent population was 477.00 million, a decrease of 14.04 million. The urban population's proportion of the total population (urbanization rate) was 66.16 percent, an increase of 0.94 percentage points compared to the end of the previous year.