China ’s population is predicted to reach 1.39 billion by the end of 2015, of whom 700 million people will be living in urban areas, according to the Chinese National Population and Family Planning Commission (NPFPC).
As the world’s most populous nation, China ’s population was 1.32 billion at the end of 2008, about 2.5 times more than its size in 1949 when the People’s Republic of China was founded.
Therefore, to put a hold on the fast pace of growth, the Chinese government has implemented a family planning policy since the late 1970s. As a result, the country’s total population increased by less than 40 percent between 1978 and 2008, whereas it nearly doubled in the 1949-1978 period.
According to an official from the NPFPC, in the next five years, when more rural residents will leave their home for cities to earn a living, the Chinese population is projected to exceed 1.39 billion.
The rapid urbanisation process has led to a rising proportion of urban population. In 2009, China had 606.6 million city dwellers, accounting for 46.7 percent of the country’s total population, and the rate is forecast to reach 50 percent in 2012.
China will also expect the first boom in the number of elderly in the next five years when those aged 60 or over will top 200 million by the end of 2015.
The ratio of the 15-59 group will peak and then slowly fall over the period./.
As the world’s most populous nation, China ’s population was 1.32 billion at the end of 2008, about 2.5 times more than its size in 1949 when the People’s Republic of China was founded.
Therefore, to put a hold on the fast pace of growth, the Chinese government has implemented a family planning policy since the late 1970s. As a result, the country’s total population increased by less than 40 percent between 1978 and 2008, whereas it nearly doubled in the 1949-1978 period.
According to an official from the NPFPC, in the next five years, when more rural residents will leave their home for cities to earn a living, the Chinese population is projected to exceed 1.39 billion.
The rapid urbanisation process has led to a rising proportion of urban population. In 2009, China had 606.6 million city dwellers, accounting for 46.7 percent of the country’s total population, and the rate is forecast to reach 50 percent in 2012.
China will also expect the first boom in the number of elderly in the next five years when those aged 60 or over will top 200 million by the end of 2015.
The ratio of the 15-59 group will peak and then slowly fall over the period./.
