Shanghai population 170m at yearend, still less children wanted

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, November 19, 2003

Shanghai population 170m at yearend, still less children wanted

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On November 17, Shanghai Municipal Population and Family Planning Commission released its first forecast on the birthrate in the municipality. According to the forecast, the number of permanent residents in Shanghai is expected to reach about 170 million by the end of 2003 with a newborn population of 86,000, a birthrate of about 5.0 per thousand. The natural growth rate of population will be about minus1.0 per thousand. The total registered population will be 133.4 million with a newborn population of 63,000, a birthrate of 4.7 per thousand and a natural growth rate of population of minus 2.7 per thousand. In the year 2004, the total newborn population in Shanghai is expected to reach about 74,000 and that of the permanent residents about 91,000.

Sources say that Shanghai will establish a population information system of one to two periodic forecasts every year and provide the city residents with characteristic family planning guidance services to avoid the peaks of education, employment and retirement and a periodic fluctuation of the distribution of social resources.

Meanwhile, Shanghai also released the result of the sample survey of the birth-giving wish of people at 18 to 30 years of age. The survey shows that the newborn population will remain at a relatively low level. The respondents hope to have 1.10 children on average. Those who want to have one child take up 81.47 percent of the total. The number of children people want continues to drop. The five sample surveys of the birth-giving willingness of the city residents from the year 1983 to 2003 indicate that the number of children desired have decreased from 2.04 in 1983 to 1.10 in 2003.

More children are wanted among males than females, the elder people more than the younger and the married more than the unmarried and non-agricultural population than agricultural population. The number of children wanted rises with the level of the education and income of the respondents. Among those who want to have one child, 85.43 percent show no different attitude towards the sex of the child while 6.63 percent want to have a boy and 7.93 percent want a girl.

By PD Online staff Gao Lanrong

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