China Population Facts: Read About The World's Most Populous Country

Many people have heard or read about China having the highest population in the world.

But have you ever wondered how and what turned China’s unique economic growth plan into a concern to be taken care of immediately? Let’s find out!

China began overpopulating back in 1949, by the end of World War II, as a strategy to improve its economic conditions by having more people donating to its economy and building a stronger army. The population in China was 969 million in 1979, nearly doubling up from 540 million in 1949, and shockingly went up to one billion by 1982. Although the current population of China continues to be the highest in the world (1.41 billion as of 2021), its overall population density has been recorded to be significantly less than the average number for the population density in Asia.

Following the war, the Government was sparked by the fears of overpopulation that resulted in the implementation of the one-child policy, restricting the birth of just one child in many families. But what could be the reasons and effects that scared the concerned politicians of China to make such a drastic change in the family structure of Chinese households?

Let's check out some interesting facts about the most populous country in the world.

Causes Of Overpopulation In China

Overpopulation over the years in China has resulted from multiple factors; low fertility rates and lower mortality rate being the prime reasons. Let's take a look at what has turned China to top the list of most populated countries.

China's population has been a major concern for many decades now. In the 18th century, China's population grew from 180 million to 310 million (about a 5.5% annual growth rate). The population then grew to 436 million in 1851 (0.68% annual growth rate for 50 years), then shrank to 370 million at the end of the century (lowest point: 256 million in 1866, 200 million lost as a result of natural growth). During the Republic of China, the population was recorded at 445 million (annual population growth rate of 1.21% within 46 years). The population grew to 541 million in 1949 (with a 0.53% annual growth rate for 37 years) following the years of civil wars and the Japanese invasion. When China became the People's Republic of China, its first census showed its population at 602 million, while the second census recorded its population at 695 million. China's population continued to grow and two decades later, it touched the one billion mark. China also saw its population at 1.24 billion in 2000, which further increased to 1.37 billion.

But wonder what might have caused such rapid growth in the Chinese population?

The first reason was the end of World War II. The world witnessed peace for the first time since 1900. This also led to the encouragement by Central Government for having more babies with the belief that more people meant more power as a nation. Chinese women were praised with the honor of being 'Hero Mother'.

Healthcare and social-political conditions also changed dramatically after World War II. Because the Qing Dynasty didn't introduce modern medicines and the Chinese people were still using traditional Chinese medicines, there was a lower life expectancy. However, with the implementation of proper healthcare, China saw a rise in its life expectancy rate.

Effects Of Overpopulation In China

So, why is overpopulation a subject of concern if it was only meant for the development of the country? Read on to find out.

First things first, overpopulation is a major reason for increased demand for food, energy, housing, and healthcare. Considering Mainland China is smaller than Russia and Canada, accommodating the rapid population growth became a major concern, causing unemployment, natural resource exhaustion, and pollution.

Another major impact caused by the rising population was its effect on the country's economy. The population figures and their relationship with economic growth were studied during the '50s. Growth in population along with the nation's economy is measured primarily by differences in per capita income, or the income above a basic standard of living. The population figures rapidly grew, exceeding the standard level until the Great Chinese Famine, which resulted in a massive population decline. This rapid increase in population also brought in a difference in the per capita income of the nation.

The interaction between economic conditions and population growth is best measured by differential per capita income, which produced these reports annually. The marginal productivity of differential per capita investment and labor force input were among the factors that contributed to this difference in per capita income. These reports showed a clear decrease in national income, which was a consequence of the high growth in population. It has also been noticed that the depletion in the Chinese economy before 1978 was mostly a result of the borderline population as compared to the economic crisis that followed post-1978, which was majorly affected by increased consumption. In 1953, the average family income was 2.53 yuan which by 1989 reached 8.64 yuan. Between 1966 and 1973, the consumption level increased by an average of 2.1% per year. Differential per capita income, however, did not reach zero due to population growth. Rather, the intensity of depletion varied with population growth rates. These relations between differential income growth and population rise show a strong correlation between the rise in one demographic data and the decline in the nation's economy.

Another concern that is worth noting is the impact of a higher population on the environment. The population of China is 20% higher than the population of the United States. Population increase has caused a further decrease in arable land up to 7%. This has also resulted in the deforestation of forests to accommodate a larger population.

Along with the economy and environment, the fertility rate in China has also seen a decline from more than six births per woman (1955) to a shocking 1.69 (2020). The average age group in China is reported to be 38 years old, which once used to be 22 years back in 1955. This was a result of higher life expectancy and lower birth rates (due to the one-child policy) which has significant negative effects, including an increased aging population and a reduced young population that will gradually increase dependency rates.

Population Of China Vs Other Countries

Despite different measures to control China's population, this country continues to remain the largest population in the world.

The current population of the world stands at 7.9 billion, with China comprising about 18% of the world’s total population. This has mainly resulted from improved health facilities and hygiene, which further resulted in lower mortality rates and a higher median age of the population. This trend has also been noticed in the context of the world's population which has been estimated to reach around 11 billion by the end of the 21st century. The average life expectancy has also increased significantly.

While talking about the most populous continent, Asia, without a doubt, tops the list with most of the largest countries with a dense population falling in this region. Asia also has four times greater population than Africa.

This population spurt that has taken over the last few decades is known by the phenomenon of demographic transition, which is a consequence of the drastic decline in mortality rate, which further leads to lower fertility rates and higher life expectancy. This phenomenon is the prime reason for the higher growth rate in the population as the population continues aging.

Demographic transition mostly in developed countries has been noticed to have begun with the industrialization period, with growth rates now being stabilized with the balance between birth rate and mortality rate. However, when speaking about countries that are less developed there are different factors involved.

The Chinese population, in comparison with other countries in the world, tops the list. To get a clearer picture of how large the population is, imagine a combination of multiple regions including South America, Europe, Canada, the US, Australia, and many more. South Africa has a total population comprising 60.14 million people, Europe's population stands at 741 million people, Canada's at 36.9 million, the US stands at 331.9 million, while Australia records a total population of 25.85 million. This data can be a great reference for picturing the contribution of the Chinese population to the total world population graph.

As China takes on the first position on the list for the most populated country, it's followed by India, which has a total population of 1.39 billion people, as of 2021. These two highly populated countries are followed by the US, Indonesia, Brazil, and Pakistan. These six countries are also said to be home to half of the population in the world. 

Growth Rate Of China's Population

Now that we have a fair idea about the causes and effects of Chinese overpopulation, let us go review its growth rate throughout the years.

The growth rate of a population can be calculated by the difference between the number of live births and deaths in a given time, which is then divided by the average population in that period, multiplied by 1,000. China's growth rate was seen to have last peaked in the year 1970. In the year 1961, China had a growth of -1.0, followed by the rise that was seen in 1962, at a rate of 0.8%. The following year has been recorded to have the most rapid rise of growth rate in China, at a rate of 2.5%, which increased in just a time span of two years. China was seen to have a slight decline in its growth rate in the year 1964 at the rate of 2.5%, with just a difference of 0.3%, which was quickly picked up the following year, with a growth rate of 2.4%.

China's growth rate reached its peak for the first time in 1966, at 2.8%, rising by 0.4% in a year. In 1967, China again witnessed a little decline, which saw a growth rate of 2.6%, followed by 2.6% in 1968. The growth rate increased to 2.7% in 1969, followed by its last highest score in 1970, at a rate of 2.8%. The growth has since been declining each year. 1971 recorded its growth rate at 2.7% followed by 2.5% in 1972.

This followed a declining trend with 2.3% (1973), 2.1% (1974), 1.8% (1975), 1.5% (1976), 1.4% (1977), 1.3% in (1978), 1.3% (1979-1981), 1.5% (1982), 1.4% (1983), 1.3% (1984), 1.4% (1985), 1.5% (1986), 1.6% (1987-1988), 1.5% (1989-1990), 1.4% (1991), 1.2% (1992), 1.1% (1993-1995), 1.0% (1996-1998), 0.9% (1999), 0.8% (2000), 0.7% (2001-2002). Since 2018, China witnessed rapid decline in its growth rate at a rate of 0.5% (2018), 0.4% (2019), 0.3% (2020).

FAQs

Q. What is the population in China in 2021?

A. According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, its population was 1.41 billion in the year 2021.

Q. Does China still have a population problem?

A. No. Although the population has still been increasing, China's birth rate continued to plummet for the fifth straight year.

Q. Is China's population a cause for concern?

A. Yes, overpopulation has always been a concern for China.

Q. What caused overpopulation in China?

A. Overpopulation started in the year 1949, post-World War II when citizens were motivated to have as many kids as possible to help increase the country's economy and also build a stronger and larger army.

Q. What type of population is in China?

A. China's current population stands at 1,448,296,581.

Q. What country has the highest population?

A. China is the most populous nation in the world.

Q. Does China still have a one-child policy?

A. No, China abolished its one-child policy in the year 2015 by establishing a two-child policy, which was again then followed by a three-child policy. This was all later abolished in July 2021.