CGTN America
PHOTO: CFP
China’s population is predicted to reach 1.42 billion by the end of 2020, according to a draft outline of a short-term development plan released on Saturday.
China’s latest figures at the end of 2015 put its population at 1.37 billion, up 6.8 million from the end of 2014, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
While the population has grown, and is predicted to grow even further, there are serious concerns regarding China’s demographics. These include whether there are enough young people to support China’s aging population, as well as a serious gender imbalance.
Family planning policies, as well as birth control measures are among key proposals of this year’s Two Sessions, in which lawmakers from all walks of life across China gather in Beijing to discuss major government agendas for the coming year.
A draft proposal says the issue of gender imbalance needs to be addressed, a serious problem following China’s one-child policy since the late 1970s, “with comprehensive measures”. The NBS said in January that the ratio stood at 113.51 (the ratio between male and female newborn babies in China are 113.51:100), the highest in the world, with 33.66 million more males than females.
Earlier this year China began to carry out the policy that allows all couple to have two children, this has been seen as a way to tackle a number of issues in the country’s demographic structure, such as aging population, health care and sex imbalances.
It said that the full implementation of the two-child policy will bring 3 million more people for China every year on average in the coming five years.
Story by CCTV News.
