Discussion of China's Population Growth Rate - Page 1

The Total Population Chart

The figures shown in the chart of total population were based on the Chinese State Statistical Bureau's published figures. The figures for 1987 was taken on the basis of a count done among 10,711,652 people, that is, one percent of the total, chosen from 1045 counties or cities in all of 29 provinces, autonomous regions, and cities under control of the PRC. The Chinese government was extremely reticent about releasing population (and other) statistics from the late 1950s until the end of the 1970s. Even the existence, let alone the results, of the 1964 census was not revealed until years after the event.

The One-Child Policy

In 1980, Premier Hua Guofeng announced the policy of restricting each couple (except among the minority nationalities) to one child only, and to limiting the total population to 1.2 billion by the end of the 20th century. For a while this policy succeeded to some extent in reducing the population growth rate, but from 1984 exemptions were increasingly allowed, especially for peasants whose first child was a girl. In the late 1980s the government issued statements recognizing the failure of this goal. In 1988. The People's Daily reported that some provincial officials had deliberately falsified the figures for 1987.

The Non-registration Problem

A survey made by the State Statistical Bureau between January 1987 and October 1988 showed that 16.75 percent of babies born in that period were not registered. In the cities the incident of non-registration was 2.35 percent, but in the countryside was 31.85 percent. In China 110.51 male infants were born for every 100 female infants. A normal sex ratio at birth varies from 105 to 107. Three reasons present this discrepancy. It pointed out strongly to the widespread under reporting of female births. The one-child policy had caused under registration and differential abortion, and contributed to the regrowth of female infanticide, largely because there is an extremely strong tradition of preferring male offspring to female, especially among peasants. In the U.S females outnumber males by over 7 million. By this ratio China should have 28 million more females than males. Instead China has 32 million males than females. This indicates that 60 million females could be missing.