China's State Information Office has release the results of the country's sixth national census. Ma Jiantang, Director of the Bureau of Statistics, who is also the deputy director of the census team, fielded questions from reporters.
Back in November, China conducted its biggest national census ever.
Ma Jiantang, the country's statistics head, says over the past ten years, the population has grown to nearly 1.34 billion, but the growth rate has maintained a low level.
Meanwhile, China's urbanization rate has grown. Over 49 percent of the entire population now lives in cities, up nearly 13-and-a-half percentage points.
The figures also show a bigger aging population, with people over 60 accounting for 13.26 percent of the population. Ma attributed this to the progress in terms of medical care and living standards.
Progress has also brought down the illiteracy rate.
Ma noted the benefits of keeping population growth in check in improving people's lives.
Ma said, "The figures reveal the successful result of our government in propelling social development, overhauling the population quality, and balancing rural and urban development. The size, growth rate and figures have show that the overgrowing trend of China's population has been successfully checked. This has reduced the pressure of population growth on resources and environment and laid a foundation for steady yet fast economic and social growth."
Ma says these figures have reflected China's resolution to honor its promise to the UN's Millennium Development Goals.
He acknowledged much remains to be done. Ma says research and studies will be carried out to cope with challenges, such as aging, increasing migration and the yawning gap between the boy-girl birth rate.