Disaggregated population data vital to understanding Chinese family aspirations: experts

XIONG'AN, Hebei Province, July 13 (Xinhua) -- Global experts on Friday noted the importance of collecting further disaggregated and new population data in China to better understand the aspirations of individuals regarding reproduction and care for children and the elderly.

They made the remarks at a seminar held in north China marking the World Population Day, observed annually on July 11, during which the United Nations Population Division anticipated continuing low fertility and ageing in China in its latest projections of global population trends.

"China is experiencing one of the most rapid demographic transitions in the world. There is a greater need to produce further data to understand individual's aspirations for reproduction and access to social, health and education services," Ira Ovesen, officer-in-charge of the United Nations Population Fund in China, said in the Xiong'an New Area of Hebei Province.

She said China has all the requisite conditions -- commitment, human and financial resources, as well as technical and technological factors -- in place to innovate on a new data chain that "better reflects the evolving population dynamics and supports tailored policy making."

With a global theme on inclusive data, the World Population Day this year highlights the significance of population data for sustainable development.

This year also marks the 30th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development Program of Action, central to which is the recognition that women's sexual and reproductive health and rights are cornerstones of sustainable development.

Yang Jinrui, deputy director of the department of population surveillance and family development at the National Health Commission of China, said China is strengthening population surveillance and projections and improving data collection and analysis in response to evolving demographic transitions resulting from socio-economic development.

"China will focus on high-quality development of the population, regularly release population data and project reproduction trends and population changes," Yang said.

Yuan Xin, a professor at Nankai University and vice president of the China Population Association, said population data are a new and important type of resources that can help us understand the general situation, plan family life and seek socio-economic development.

"I hope population data can serve as strong support for our pursuit of a resilient and fair future," Yuan said.