POPULATION

The population of China in 2005 was estimated by the United

Nations (UN) at 1,303,701,000, which ranked first in population
among the 193 nations of the world. In 2005, approximately 8% of
the population was over 65 years of age, with another 22% of the
population under 15 years of age. There were 106 males for every
100 females in the country. According to the UN, the annual
population rate of change for 200510 was expected to be 0.6%, a
rate the government viewed as satisfactory. The government has
emphasized family planning since the 1970s, and has accomplished
a significant reduction in population growth. The projected
population for the year 2025 was 1,476,000,000. The population
density was 136 per sq km (353 per sq mi), but the distribution of
the population throughout China is extremely uneven. The most
densely populated areas near the coast have a population density
of more than 154 people per sq km (400 per sq mi), while the
western plateaus are sparsely populated.

China, as the most populous country in the world, accounts for 21%
of the estimated world population. Until 2001, it was also the only
country to have attained the status of demographic billionaire, but in
March that year, India also reached a one billion population. The
government policy, launched in the 1990s calling for an extensive
family planning program to limit population growth, has been
successful.

The UN estimated that 37% of the population lived in urban areas in

2005, and that urban areas were growing at an annual rate of
2.79%. Government policy has sought to limit the growth of the
large eastern cities, especially the capital city, Beijing
(Peking), Shanghai, and Tianjin, and to promote the growth of
smaller cities away from the coast. China has over 60 metropolitan
areas with populations greater than 750,000. As of 2005, the largest
urban centers were Shanghai, 12,665,000; Beijing, 10,849,000; and
Tianjin, 9,346,000. Other large metropolitan areas included Wuhan,
6,003,000; Chongqing, 4,975,000; Shenyang, 4,916,000;
Guangzhou, 3,881,000; Chengdu, 3,478,000; Xi'an,
3,256,000; Changchun, 3,092,000; Harbin, 2,898,000; Dalian,
2,709,000; Jinan, 2,654,000; Hangzhou, 1,955,000; and Qingdao,
1,452,000.