China People Stats
Author: Edsel.G
China is the most populous country in the world with over 1.3 billion as of 2010 census. This huge population is a double-edged sword which has empowered the country’s economic machinery and, at the same time, is threatening to suck the country’s natural resources dry. With China’s natural riches on a rapid state of decline, the Chinese communist government has implemented strict population-control measures, the most infamous of which was the one-child policy.
For several decades, the vast population of the country suffered from poverty and famine. However, China’s huge economic growth has lifted hundreds of millions from poverty and is now on the way to providing each and every citizen with Western-style standards of living.
China has 56 legally recognized ethnic groups, the largest of which are the Han Chinese, which make up 91% of the entire population. Foreigners have also begun to take refuge in the many affluent cities of the country; the largest groups come from South Korea, US, and even Japan.
There are several important Chinese languages; the most important of these is Mandarin (spoken by 70% of the population) which is thought to originate in Beijing. Other important languages include Wu, Yue, Xiang, and Min. There are other languages, but the legally accepted lingua franca is the Mandarin. By sheer number of speakers, Mandarin surpasses English as the most spoken language. However, English is spoken by more nationalities and more countries, thus making it the universal language of the world.
Definitions
- Abortion > Abortion rate: Abortions per 1000 women.
- Age dependency ratio > Dependents to working-age population: Age dependency ratio is the ratio of dependents--people younger than 15 or older than 64--to the working-age population--those ages 15-64. For example, 0.7 means there are 7 dependents for every 10 working-age people.
- Age distribution > Child dependency ratio: Percentage of dependant children out of total population aged 15 and older. A dependant child is a child aged 0-14.
- Age distribution > Elderly dependency ratio: Percentage of dependant adults out of total population aged 15-64. A dependant adult is an adult aged 65 and older.
- Age distribution > Median age: The median age of the country's residents. This is the age most people are in the country.
- Age distribution > Population aged 0-14: Percentage of total population aged 0-14.
- Age distribution > Population aged 0-14 > Total: Number of people aged 0-14.
- Age distribution > Population aged 0-4 > Percent: Percentage of total population aged 0-4.
- Age distribution > Population aged 0-4 > Total: Number of people aged 0-4.
- Age distribution > Population aged 15-24 > Percent: Percentage of total population aged 15-24.
- Age distribution > Population aged 15-24 > Total: Number of people aged 15-24.
- Age distribution > Population aged 15-59: Percentage of total pouplation aged 15-59.
- Age distribution > Population aged 15-59 > Total: Number of people aged 15-59.
- Age distribution > Population aged 15-64: Percentage of total population aged 15-64.
- Age distribution > Population aged 15-64 > Total: Number of people aged 15-64.
- Age distribution > Population aged 5-14 > Percent: Percentage of total population aged 5-14.
- Age distribution > Population aged 5-14 > Total: Number of people aged 5-14.
- Age distribution > Population aged 60 or over > Percent: Percentage of total population aged 60 and older.
- Age distribution > Population aged 60 or over > Total: Number of people aged 60 and older.
- Age distribution > Population aged 65 or over > Percent: Percentage of total population aged 65 and older.
- Age distribution > Population aged 65 or over > Total: Number of people 65 years old and older.
- Age distribution > Population aged 80 or over > Percent: Percentage of total population aged 80 and older.
- Age distribution > Population aged 80 or over > Total: Number of people aged 80 years and older.
- Age distribution > Total dependency ratio: Percentage of dependant persons out of total population aged 15-64. A dependant person is a person aged 0-14 and those over 65 years old.
- Age structure > 0-14 years: The distribution of the population according to age. Information is included by sex and age group (0-14 years, 15-64 years, 65 years and over). The age structure of a population affects a nation's key socioeconomic issues. Countries with young populations (high percentage under age 15) need to invest more in schools, while countries with older populations (high percentage ages 65 and over) need to invest more in the health sector. The age structure can also be used to help predict potential political issues. For example, the rapid growth of a young adult population unable to find employment can lead to unrest.
- Age structure > 15-24 years: This entry is derived from People > Age structure, which provides the distribution of the population according to age. Information is included by sex and age group as follows: 0-14 years (children), 15-24 years (early working age), 25-54 years (prime working age), 55-64 years (mature working age), 65 years and over (elderly). The age structure of a population affects a nation's key socioeconomic issues. Countries with young populations (high percentage under age 15) need to invest more in schools, while countries with older populations (high percentage ages 65 and over) need to invest more in the health sector. The age structure can also be used to help predict potential political issues. For example, the rapid growth of a young adult population unable to find employment can lead to unrest.
- Age structure > 15-64 years: The distribution of the population according to age. Information is included by sex and age group (0-14 years, 15-64 years, 65 years and over). The age structure of a population affects a nation's key socioeconomic issues. Countries with young populations (high percentage under age 15) need to invest more in schools, while countries with older populations (high percentage ages 65 and over) need to invest more in the health sector. The age structure can also be used to help predict potential political issues. For example, the rapid growth of a young adult population unable to find employment can lead to unrest.
- Age structure > 25-54 years: This entry is derived from People > Age structure, which provides the distribution of the population according to age. Information is included by sex and age group as follows: 0-14 years (children), 15-24 years (early working age), 25-54 years (prime working age), 55-64 years (mature working age), 65 years and over (elderly). The age structure of a population affects a nation's key socioeconomic issues. Countries with young populations (high percentage under age 15) need to invest more in schools, while countries with older populations (high percentage ages 65 and over) need to invest more in the health sector. The age structure can also be used to help predict potential political issues. For example, the rapid growth of a young adult population unable to find employment can lead to unrest.
- Age structure > 65 years and over: The distribution of the population according to age. Information is included by sex and age group (0-14 years, 15-64 years, 65 years and over). The age structure of a population affects a nation's key socioeconomic issues. Countries with young populations (high percentage under age 15) need to invest more in schools, while countries with older populations (high percentage ages 65 and over) need to invest more in the health sector. The age structure can also be used to help predict potential political issues. For example, the rapid growth of a young adult population unable to find employment can lead to unrest."
- Birth rate: The average annual number of births during a year per 1,000 persons in the population at midyear; also known as crude birth rate. The birth rate is usually the dominant factor in determining the rate of population growth. It depends on both the level of fertility and the age structure of the population.
- Cities > Urban population: Total population living in urban areas. The defition of an urban area differs for each country. Future estimates are from the UN Population Division.
- Death rate: The average annual number of deaths during a year per 1,000 population at midyear; also known as crude death rate. The death rate, while only a rough indicator of the mortality situation in a country, accurately indicates the current mortality impact on population growth. This indicator is significantly affected by age distribution, and most countries will eventually show a rise in the overall death rate, in spite of continued decline in mortality at all ages, as declining fertility results in an aging population.
- Death rate, crude > Per 1,000 people: Death rate, crude (per 1,000 people). Crude death rate indicates the number of deaths occurring during the year, per 1,000 population estimated at midyear. Subtracting the crude death rate from the crude birth rate provides the rate of natural increase, which is equal to the rate of population change in the absence of migration.
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Dependency ratios > Youth dependency ratio:
This entry is derived from People > Dependency ratios, which dependency ratios are a measure of the age structure of a population. They relate the number of individuals that are likely to be economically "dependent" on the support of others. Dependency ratios contrast the ratio of youths (ages 0-14) and the elderly (ages 65+) to the number of those in the working-age group (ages 15-64). Changes in the dependency ratio provide an indication of potential social support requirements resulting from changes in population age structures. As fertility levels decline, the dependency ratio initially falls because the proportion of youths decreases while the proportion of the population of working age increases. As fertility levels continue to decline, dependency ratios eventually increase because the proportion of the population of working age starts to decline and the proportion of elderly persons continues to increase.
total dependency ratio - The total dependency ratio is the ratio of combined youth population (ages 0-14) and elderly population (ages 65+) per 100 people of working age (ages 15-64). A high total dependency ratio indicates that the working-age population and the overall economy face a greater burden to support and provide social services for youth and elderly persons, who are often economically dependent.
youth dependency ratio - The youth dependency ratio is the ratio of the youth population (ages 0-14) per 100 people of working age (ages 15-64). A high youth dependency ratio indicates that a greater investment needs to be made in schooling and other services for children.
elderly dependency ratio - The elderly dependency ratio is the ratio of the elderly population (ages 65+) per 100 people of working age (ages 15-64). Increases in the elderly dependency ratio put added pressure on governments to fund pensions and healthcare.
potential support ratio - The potential support ratio is the number of working-age people (ages 15-64) per one elderly person (ages 65+). As a population ages, the potential support ratio tends to fall, meaning there are fewer potential workers to support the elderly. - Divorce rate: Divorce rate per 1,000 people
- Ethnic groups: This entry provides a rank ordering of ethnic groups starting with the largest and normally includes the percent of total population.
- Fertility > Fertility rate, total > Births per woman: Fertility rate, total (births per woman). Total fertility rate represents the number of children that would be born to a woman if she were to live to the end of her childbearing years and bear children in accordance with current age-specific fertility rates.
- Future population change: Total change in population by country. Future estimates are from the UN Population Division.
- Gender > Female population: Total female population.
- Gender > Gender inequality index: Gender Inequality Index.
- Gender > Global Gender Gap Index: The Gender Gap Index considers gender inequality in the dimensions of economic participation (equality of salaries, labor market participation and access to high-skilled employment); access to education; political participation; and health (life expectancy and sex ratio). The highest score of 1 means total equality, 0 means complete inequality. The Index is calculated by the World Economic Forum.
- Gender > Male population: Total male population.
- Gender > Sex ratio at birth: Number of males born for every female born. Countries with a number less than one have more females born than males.
- Gender > Women aged 15-49: Country's total population of women aged 15-49. Future estimates are from the UN Population Division.
- Infant mortality rate > Total: This entry is derived from People > Infant mortality rate, which gives the number of deaths of infants under one year old in a given year per 1,000 live births in the same year; included is the total death rate, and deaths by sex, male and female. This rate is often used as an indicator of the level of health in a country.
- Life expectancy at birth > Total population: This entry is derived from People > Life expectancy at birth, which contains the average number of years to be lived by a group of people born in the same year, if mortality at each age remains constant in the future. The entry includes total population as well as the male and female components. Life expectancy at birth is also a measure of overall quality of life in a country and summarizes the mortality at all ages. It can also be thought of as indicating the potential return on investment in human capital and is necessary for the calculation of various actuarial measures.
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Literacy > Total population:
This entry is derived from People > Literacy, which includes a definition of literacy and Census Bureau percentages for the total population, males, and females. There are no universal definitions and standards of literacy. Unless otherwise specified, all rates are based on the most common definition - the ability to read and write at a specified age. Detailing the standards that individual countries use to assess the ability to read and write is beyond the scope of the Factbook. Information on literacy, while not a perfect measure of educational results, is probably the most easily available and valid for international comparisons. Low levels of literacy, and education in general, can impede the economic development of a country in the current rapidly changing, technology-driven world.
Additional details:- Gibraltar: above 80% (2013)
- Marriage > Years being single before marriage > Men: Average age of men at their first marriage.
- Marriage > Years being single before marriage > Women: Average age of women at their first marriage.
- Marriage, divorce and children > Marriages: Marriages by urban/rural residence.
- Marriage, divorce and children > Marriages per thousand people: Marriages by urban/rural residence. Figures expressed per thousand people for the same year.
- Marriage, divorce and children > Total divorces: Total number of divorces in given year by country.
- Marriage, divorce and children > Total divorces per thousand people: Total number of divorces in given year by country. Figures expressed per thousand people for the same year.
- Median age > Total: This entry is derived from People > Median age, which is the age that divides a population into two numerically equal groups; that is, half the people are younger than this age and half are older. It is a single index that summarizes the age distribution of a population. Currently, the median age ranges from a low of about 15 in Uganda and Gaza Strip to 40 or more in several European countries and Japan. See the entry for "Age structure" for the importance of a young versus an older age structure and, by implication, a low versus a higher median age.
- Migration > Foreign worker salaries: Workers' remittances and compensation of employees comprise current transfers by migrant workers and wages and salaries earned by nonresident workers. Remittances are classified as current private transfers from migrant workers resident in the host country for more than a year, irrespective of their immigration status, to recipients in their country of origin. Migrants' transfers are defined as the net worth of migrants who are expected to remain in the host country for more than one year that is transferred from one country to another at the time of migration. Compensation of employees is the income of migrants who have lived in the host country for less than a year. Data are in current U.S. dollars."
- Migration > Net migration: Net migration is the net total of migrants during the period, that is, the total number of immigrants less the annual number of emigrants, including both citizens and noncitizens. Data are five-year estimates. To derive estimates of net migration, the United Nations Population Division takes into account the past migration history of a country or area, the migration policy of a country, and the influx of refugees in recent periods. The data to calculate these official estimates come from a variety of sources, including border statistics, administrative records, surveys, and censuses. When no official estimates can be made because of insufficient data, net migration is derived through the balance equation, which is the difference between overall population growth and the natural increase during the 1990-2000 intercensal period."
- Migration > Net migration > Per capita: Net migration is the net total of migrants during the period, that is, the total number of immigrants less the annual number of emigrants, including both citizens and noncitizens. Data are five-year estimates. To derive estimates of net migration, the United Nations Population Division takes into account the past migration history of a country or area, the migration policy of a country, and the influx of refugees in recent periods. The data to calculate these official estimates come from a variety of sources, including border statistics, administrative records, surveys, and censuses. When no official estimates can be made because of insufficient data, net migration is derived through the balance equation, which is the difference between overall population growth and the natural increase during the 1990-2000 intercensal period." Per capita figures expressed per 1 million population.
- Migration > Net migration rate: The difference between the number of persons entering and leaving a country during the year per 1,000 persons (based on midyear population). An excess of persons entering the country is referred to as net immigration (e.g., 3.56 migrants/1,000 population); an excess of persons leaving the country as net emigration (e.g., -9.26 migrants/1,000 population). The net migration rate indicates the contribution of migration to the overall level of population change. High levels of migration can cause problems such as increasing unemployment and potential ethnic strife (if people are coming in) or a reduction in the labor force, perhaps in certain key sectors (if people are leaving).
- Migration > Refugee population by country or territory of origin: Refugees are people who are recognized as refugees under the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees or its 1967 Protocol, the 1969 Organisation of African Unity Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa, people recognized as refugees in accordance with the UNHCR statute, people granted refugee-like humanitarian status, and people provided temporary protection. Asylum seekers--people who have applied for asylum or refugee status and who have not yet received a decision or who are registered as asylum seekers--are excluded. Palestinian refugees are people (and their descendants) whose residence was Palestine between June 1946 and May 1948 and who lost their homes and means of livelihood as a result of the 1948 Arab-Israeli conflict. Country of origin generally refers to the nationality or country of citizenship of a claimant."
- Nationality > Adjective: This entry is derived from People > Nationality, which provides the identifying terms for citizens - noun and adjective.
- Nationality > Noun: The noun which identifies citizens of the nation
- Obesity > Adult obesity rate: This entry gives the percent of a country's population considered to be obese. Obesity is defined as an adult having a Body Mass Index (BMI) greater to or equal to 30.0. BMI is calculated by taking a person's weight in kg and dividing it by the person's squared height in meters.
- Physicians density: This entry gives the number of medical doctors (physicians), including generalist and specialist medical practitioners, per 1,000 of the population. Medical doctors are defined as doctors that study, diagnose, treat, and prevent illness, disease, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans through the application of modern medicine. They also plan, supervise, and evaluate care and treatment plans by other health care providers. The World Health Organization estimates that fewer than 2.3 health workers (physicians, nurses, and midwives only) per 1,000 would be insufficient to achieve coverage of primary healthcare needs.
- Population: Population, total refers to the total population.
- Population > CIA Factbook: This entry gives an estimate from the US Bureau of the Census based on statistics from population censuses, vital statistics registration systems, or sample surveys pertaining to the recent past and on assumptions about future trends. The total population presents one overall measure of the potential impact of the country on the world and within its region. Note: starting with the 1993 Factbook, demographic estimates for some countries (mostly African) have explicitly taken into account the effects of the growing impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. These countries are currently: The Bahamas, Benin, Botswana, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
- Population > Population growth, past and future: Population growth rate (percentage).
- Population density: Population density is midyear population divided by land area in square kilometers. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship--except for refugees not permanently settled in the country of asylum, who are generally considered part of the population of their country of origin. Land area is a country's total area, excluding area under inland water bodies, national claims to continental shelf, and exclusive economic zones. In most cases the definition of inland water bodies includes major rivers and lakes."
- Population growth: Percentage by which country's population either has increased or is estimated to increase. Countries with a decrease in population are signified by a negative percentage. Future estimates are from the UN Population Division.
- Population growth rate: The average annual percent change in the population, resulting from a surplus (or deficit) of births over deaths and the balance of migrants entering and leaving a country. The rate may be positive or negative. The growth rate is a factor in determining how great a burden would be imposed on a country by the changing needs of its people for infrastructure (e.g., schools, hospitals, housing, roads), resources (e.g., food, water, electricity), and jobs. Rapid population growth can be seen as threatening by neighboring countries.
- Population in 2015: (Thousands) Medium-variant projections.
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Projected population growth:
Percentage change in projected population between 2000 and 2050
Units: Percent Change in Population
Units: A threshold of 0 was applied. All countries with growth rates of 0 or below received the same score. - Rural population: Rural population is calculated as the difference between the total population and the urban population.
- Sex ratio > At birth: The number of males for each female one of five age groups - at birth, under 15 years, 15-64 years, 65 years and over, and for the total population. Sex ratio at birth has recently emerged as an indicator of certain kinds of sex discrimination in some countries. For instance, high sex ratios at birth in some Asian countries are now attributed to sex-selective abortion and infanticide due to a strong preference for sons. This will affect future marriage patterns and fertility patterns. Eventually it could cause unrest among young adult males who are unable to find partners.
- Sex ratio > Total population: The number of males for each female one of five age groups - at birth, under 15 years, 15-64 years, 65 years and over, and for the total population. Sex ratio at birth has recently emerged as an indicator of certain kinds of sex discrimination in some countries. For instance, high sex ratios at birth in some Asian countries are now attributed to sex-selective abortion and infanticide due to a strong preference for sons. This will affect future marriage patterns and fertility patterns. Eventually it could cause unrest among young adult males who are unable to find partners.
- Sex ratio > Under 15 years: The number of males for each female one of five age groups - at birth, under 15 years, 15-64 years, 65 years and over, and for the total population. Sex ratio at birth has recently emerged as an indicator of certain kinds of sex discrimination in some countries. For instance, high sex ratios at birth in some Asian countries are now attributed to sex-selective abortion and infanticide due to a strong preference for sons. This will affect future marriage patterns and fertility patterns. Eventually it could cause unrest among young adult males who are unable to find partners.
- Teenage pregancy rate: Adolescent fertility rate is the number of births per 1,000 women ages 15-19."
- Total fertility rate: The average number of children that would be born per woman if all women lived to the end of their child-bearing years and bore children according to a given fertility rate at each age. The total fertility rate is a more direct measure of the level of fertility than the crude birth rate, since it refers to births per woman. This indicator shows the potential for population growth in the country. High rates will also place some limits on the labor force participation rates for women. Large numbers of children born to women indicate large family sizes that might limit the ability of the families to feed and educate their children.
- Urban and rural > Population living in cities proper: Each city population by sex, city and city type.
- Urban and rural > Rural population: Total population living in rural areas by country.
- Urban and rural > Urban population: Total population living in urban areas by country.
- Urban and rural > Urban population per thousand people: Total population living in urban areas by country. Figures expressed per thousand people for the same year.
- Urban population: Urban population is the midyear population of areas defined as urban in each country and reported to the United Nations.
SOURCES: http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?d=GenderStat&f=inID%3a12, Abortion rate; World Development Indicators database; United Nations Population Division. Source tables; United Nations Population Division. Source tables; United Nations Population Division. Source tables; United Nations Population Division. Source tables; United Nations Population Division. Source tables; United Nations Population Division. Source tables; United Nations Population Division. Source tables; United Nations Population Division. Source tables; United Nations Population Division. Source tables; United Nations Population Division. Source tables; United Nations Population Division. Source tables; United Nations Population Division. Source tables; United Nations Population Division. Source tables; United Nations Population Division. Source tables; United Nations Population Division. Source tables; United Nations Population Division. Source tables; United Nations Population Division. 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World Population Prospects, (2) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Repot (various years), (3) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (4) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (5) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme, and (6) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database; United Nations Population Division. Source tables; United Nations Population Division. Source tables; United Nations Development Programme. Source tables; http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GenderGap_Report_2012.pdf. World Economic Forum, 2012. Table 3a, p. 8 ff.; United Nations Population Division. Source tables; United Nations Population Division. Source tables; United Nations Population Division. Source tables; United Nations Statistics Division. Source tables; United Nations Statistics Division. Source tables; United Nations Statistics Division. Source tables. Population figures from World Bank: (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects, (2) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Report (various years), (3) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (4) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (5) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme, and (6) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database.; United Nations Statistics Division. Source tables; United Nations Statistics Division. Source tables. Population figures from World Bank: (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects, (2) United Nations Statistical Division. 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Population and Vital Statistics Report (various years), (3) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (4) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (5) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme, and (6) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database.; United Nations Population Division; Food and Agriculture Organisation and World Bank population estimates.; United Nations Population Division. Source tables; Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat, World Population Prospects: The 2004 Revision and World Urbanization Prospects: http://esa.un.org/unpp; Population Reference Bureau, 2001 World Population Data Sheet, Washington, DC: PRB, 2001. via ciesin.org; United Nations Population Division, World Population Prospects.; United Nations Statistics Division. Source tables; United Nations Statistics Division. Source tables; United Nations Statistics Division. 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Citation
Did you know
- China's labor force stands at 706 million people, almost three times that of Europe and twice that of North and South America combined
- Of all the nations of the world, China has the most people. But there are 71 nations that are more crowded.
- China loses 2 million people per year.
- China has more broadband internet subscribers than Japan has people.
- China has 84 million-strong cities, about as many as the whole western world combined.
- China's mammoth National People's Congress has nearly 3000 members.
China People Profiles (Subcategories)
- China has had the highest population since 1960.
- China has had the highest population, total since 1961.
- China has had the highest urban and rural > urban population since 1960.
- China ranked first for sex ratio > under 15 years globally in 2012.
- China has had the highest urban population since 1975.
- China has had the highest structure > population > total since 1960.
- China ranked first for sex ratio > at birth amongst East Asia and Pacific in 2013.
- China has had the highest marriage, divorce and children > marriages since 1978.
- China has had the highest marriage, divorce and children > total divorces since 1987.
- China has had the highest age distribution > population aged 80 or over > total since 1980.
- China has ranked in the top 2 for gender > female population since 1950.
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China is the most populous country in the world with over 1.3 billion as of 2010 census. This huge population is a double-edged sword which has empowered the country’s economic machinery and, at the same time, is threatening to suck the country’s natural resources dry. With China’s natural riches on a rapid state of decline, the Chinese communist government has implemented strict population-control measures, the most infamous of which was the one-child policy.
For several decades, the vast population of the country suffered from poverty and famine. However, China’s huge economic growth has lifted hundreds of millions from poverty and is now on the way to providing each and every citizen with Western-style standards of living.
China has 56 legally recognized ethnic groups, the largest of which are the Han Chinese, which make up 91% of the entire population. Foreigners have also begun to take refuge in the many affluent cities of the country; the largest groups come from South Korea, US, and even Japan.
There are several important Chinese languages; the most important of these is Mandarin (spoken by 70% of the population) which is thought to originate in Beijing. Other important languages include Wu, Yue, Xiang, and Min. There are other languages, but the legally accepted lingua franca is the Mandarin. By sheer number of speakers, Mandarin surpasses English as the most spoken language. However, English is spoken by more nationalities and more countries, thus making it the universal language of the world.
Posted on 06 Apr 2014
Edsel.G
247 Stat enthusiast
