Beijing's permanent population of more than 15 million appears
to be ageing, as the percentage of elderly people has increased
while the number of children has declined.
Experts define an ageing society as one with more than 7 percent
of its population aged above 65. A survey found Beijing has 1.66
million residents over 65, making up 10.8 percent of the permanent
population.
It is an increase of 2.37 percentage points from five years ago,
according to Xinhua News Agency.
The survey, conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics, also
found the city had 1.57 million children under the age of 14 at the
end of 2005, accounting for 10.2 percent of its permanent
population.
This is down by 3.38 percentage points from the 2000 figure.
The number of women in the Chinese capital is rising, given the
fact women have a longer life expectancy than men.
The city has 7.58 million women and 7.78 million men, the survey
said. The female to male resident ratio has increased 6.4
percentage points than that in 2000.
Other findings from the survey on Beijing's population changes
from 2000-05 are:
The capital city's permanent population jumped 1.54 million
since 2000.
Nearly 77 percent of the city's permanent population, or 11.8
million people, are holders of the Beijing "hukou," the official
permanent household registration certificate, up 1.3 percent
annually.
Residents living in Beijing for more than half a year but
without a permanent household registration saw an annual average
increase of 6.9 percent.
(China Daily April 20, 2006)