China Energy Outlook 2020 - Flipbook - Page 19
Despite the relaxation of China’s one-child policy effective January 1, 2016 (NPC, 2015), China’s
population growth has continued the slow-down that started around the turn of the century.
Between 1980 and 1990, China’s population grew at an average annual rate of 1.5% per year,
slowing to 1.0% between 1990 and 2000, to 0.6% between 2000 and 2010, and to 0.5%
between 2010 and 2019 (NBS, various years (a)). In 2019, China’s population grew only 0.3%
from the previous year, significantly slower than the world’s annual population growth rate of
1.1% and slightly below the United States 0.5% annual population growth rate in 2019 (World
Bank, 2019).
As of 2018, China is still the world’s most populous country with 1.395 billion people, followed
closely by India with a population of 1.353 billion, growing at 1.1% per year. The United Nations
projects that India’s population will surpass China’s in 2027 (UN, 2019).
Around 1995, large numbers of China’s rural populace began to migrate to the cities. A
campaign to develop existing towns into new urban centers led to the number of cities
increasing from 193 in 1978 to 672 by 2018, with 14 cities having a population of more than 5
million household registered residents (NBS, 2019a). China’s urbanization rate consequently
increased rapidly, reaching 54.3% (exceeding the world’s average urbanization rate of 53.5%) in
2014 and approaching 61% in 2019 (Figure 1-2). However, China’s urbanization rate is still
significantly below the United States (82%), Japan (92%), and South Korea (81%) and is
projected to reach 80% by 2050 (UN, 2018b).
Figure 1-2. China’s Population and Urbanization (1980-2019)
Source: NBS, various years (a).
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