Guangxi
I. Basic Figures
The region has a terraced topographical feature sloping from the northwest to the southeast, with hilly land constituting 85% of its total area and plains 15%. The sub-tropical damp monsoon climate brings this region with distinct dry and damp seasons.
II. Population
1. Size and Distribution
Total population of Guangxi has grown rapidly over the past decades, increasing from 18.45 million in 1949 to 47.115 million in 1997. From 1982-1990, a total of 5.824 million were added to its total population, with an average annual growth rate of 1.87%. In addition, with ethnic population accounting for nearly 40% of its total, Guangxi is one of the three provinces (autonomous regions) in China with an ethnic population of more than 10 million, and the autonomous region with the most ethnic population.
Most of Guangxi's population resides in the southern and southeastern parts of the region, and the north and southwestern parts are sparsely populated. Great differences exist in population distribution and density between urban and rural areas. Ethnic minorities are concentrated on the west and northwestern hilly areas, while most Han people live in the northeastern and southeastern plain areas.
2. Population History
The development of Guangxi's population since the founding of the People's Republic can be divided into five phases:
Phase I (1949-1953). Total population increased steadily.
Phase II (1953-1964). The birth rate of urban population was o.364 percentage point higher than that of their rural counterparts.
Phase III (1964-1982). This is a period in which Guangxi's total population grew the fastest and for the longest time.
Phase IV (1982-1990). Thanks to the implementation of the family planning program, the momentum of population growth was taken under control. However, the annual increase rate was still higher than the national average.
Phase V (1990-presently). The rapid growth of population has been brought under effective control. The population structure is meliorated, and quality improved, providing a relaxed population environment for its socio-economic development.
3. Population Structure by Sex and Age
Sex ratio of Guangxi's total population was basically normal during 1950-1979, but increased significantly in late 1980s. Now the surprisingly unbalanced sex ratio has drawn special attention from the local government. In addition, there exists a difference in the sex composition between different regions and between urban and rural areas.
In the 1950s and 1960s, Guangxi had a young population, with a standard pyramid-shaped age structure; in 1982, however, the population was in a transition period from young to adult, and entered the early stage of an adult society in 1990, according to statistics of the same year.
In 1997, there were 13.454 million people aged 0-14, representing 28.56% of the region's total of 47.115 million; 30.071 million aged 15-64, 63.82% of the total; and 3.59 million aged 65 and over, 7.62% of the total. Total dependency ratio reached 56.68%, of which dependency ratio of the young was 44.74% and that of the aged 11.94%.
4. Fertility Level and Changes
Guangxi recorded a birth rate of 23.29 per thousand in 1989, according to the 1990 census. Thanks to the efforts the local government made to curb the fertility, that figure was reduced to 15.93 per thousand by the end of 1997, and TFR declined subsequently, though still a distance to the replacement level. In 1997, the natural increase rate stood at 9.53 per thousand.
Estimations based on the high, medium and low variant projections show that an average of 900,000 newborns were added to its total population annually in the 1990s, and only after 2030 will this momentum slow down. The projected birth rate is on the decrease, however, the pressure imposed on the local economy by the annually increased population is still strong.
5. Mortality and Life Expectancy
Guangxi had a high mortality rate prior to 1949, averaging over 16 per thousand between 1937-1942, and average life expectancy in this period was only 41 years. Since 1949, mortality rate has been reduced significantly to 5.63 per thousand in 1989 and 6.40 in 1997. In general, since the 1980s, mortality of Guangxi's population has been kept between 5.50-6.70 per thousand, and average life expectancy reached 70 years.
The change of mortality rate in Guangxi is similar to the general trend in other parts of the country. The 1990 census indicates that the average life expectancy of Guangxi's population had been raised to 71.08 years, one fold of that prior to 1949. Nonetheless, disparities remain between urban and rural areas and between different regions in terms of mortality level and average life expectancy.
6. Marriage Status, Family Size and Type
The 1990 fourth census indicates that unmarried people represented 28.95% of the region's population aged 15 and over. The proportion of people remaining single lifetime was increasing. Sex ratio of the unmarried increased considerably and varied greatly between urban and rural areas. The census also shows that more people got married early, compared to the third census in 1983. A great difference between urban and rural areas existed in the number of people currently with spouses.
Among the divorced, male was more than female and it varied greatly between urban and rural areas. The divorce rate was lower for people with secondary education. In the widowed population, the number of female was 2.22 times of male and the proportion of young and aged people was increasing. A great difference also existed between urban and rural areas in this respect.
In 1997, of the 33.661 million people aged 15 and over, 17.205 million were male and 16.457 million were female. Of these people, 5.347 million were unmarried male and 3.271 million female; 10.708 million were first time married male currently with spouses and 11.156 million female; 237,000 were remarried male currently with spouses and 269,000 female; 180,000 were divorced male and 87,000 female; and 733,000 were widowed male and 1.674 million female.
Between 1950-1981, the number of households in Guangxi was slowly increasing, while the total population was increasing rapidly. However, 1982-1990 saw the former developing at a notably faster speed than the latter, and a difference existed between urban and rural areas and between different regions. Average family size kept expanding between 1950-1981, but turned smaller in post-1982 years. It averaged 4.41 persons in 1951, increased to 5.20 in 1981, reduced to 4.65 in 1990 and further reduced to 4.14 in 1997. Meanwhile, a significant urban-rural and regional difference still existed.
7. Aging of Population
Total number of the aged population has increased considerably in Guangxi since 1949. The number of people aged 60 and over soared from 1.473 million to 3.423 million from 1953 to 1990, accounting for 8.10% of the region's total population in 1990. That number is estimated to rise to about 4.858 million by the end of this century (9.9% of total population) and 6.159 million by 2010 (11.4% of total). This momentum won't slow down until 2050. In addition, population aging in Guangxi develops unevenly, with most of the aged population living in rural areas. This trend will continue for a considerably long time, posing a series of problems to the province's socioeconomic development.
8. Education
Since the founding of the People's Republic in 1949, especially since the 1960s, Guangxi has achieved a lot in providing its population with proper education. Between 1964-1990, the number of people with a college education rose at an annual rate of 4.7%; after 1982, that rate jumped to 10.24%. Those with a middle school education increased by 8.43% annually and those with a primary school education increased steadily between 1964-1982. In 1990, the length of education received by those aged 6 and over averaged 5.40 years, with average educational level of the total population standing at fifth grade.
Overall, despite the marked improvements in educational attainments, Guangxi's education cause remains underdeveloped compared to the national average. Currently, a great number of people are still illiterate or semi-literate. In addition, great disparities exist between males and females, between urban and rural areas, and between different regions in educational development.
9. Migration and Population Floating
Population migration in Guangxi is marked by rural labor force flowing to nearby cities, and by out-migrants outnumbering in-migrants. Sex ratio is low in inter-provincial migrants and high in inter-regional migrants. Migration occurs primarily as a result of job seeking or doing business, with other causes including family reunion, studying and training, work transfer and visiting friends or relatives.
The fourth national census conducted in 1990 indicated that Guangxi had a floating population of 1.62 million, a dramatic increase over the 1980s. In addition, the 1990 census also showed that 577,600 of its floating population stayed in their adopted cities for over one year, accounting for 1.37% of its total permanent population. Cities, especially those with well-developed industry, trade and transportation, are destinations for most migrating population.
10. Population, Resources and Environment
In absolute terms, Guangxi has a large amount of land resources, but in per capita terms, its land acreage is low and decreasing. An unbalanced distribution of arable land, waste and abuse of farmland, soil pollution and degradation have worsened the situation. Grain supply becomes short consequently. Furthermore, the increase of population also exerts strong pressure on local water and coal resources, and deteriorates environmental pollution and the ecosystem.
11. Ethnic Population
Guangxi is an autonomous region dominated by the Zhuang people. It is home to 48 ethnic groups in this region, with the minority groups numbering 16.578 million (18.15% of the country's total and 39.24% of the region's total), according to the 1990 census. Sex ratio is lower among ethnic groups than among the Hans.
Guangxi's population turned adult since 1982. However, age composition in all ethnic groups is younger than in Hans. Since the 1980s, fertility level of the ethnic population has decreased significantly, approaching the level of Hans. In addition, the illiteracy rate for the ethnic population is also declining. The overall educational attainment of the ethnic population has improved greatly, despite disparities with Hans and between different ethnic groups.
III. Family planning
As a region inhabited by ethnic minorities, Guangxi, for a considerably long period of time since 1949, was encouraged to increase its population. Population control in Guangxi was first introduced in the 1960s and became popular in the 1990s. The family planning program has undergone five stages.
In March 1964, the Family Planning Committee of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region was established, followed by the creation of affiliated organizations at all levels to promote family planning and provide technical services. FP work in this period focused on urban residents.
In March 1972, the Family Planning Office of the Autonomous Region was reinstated and placed under the administration of the Public Health Bureau of the Autonomous Region. Activities included FP publicity and technical guidance. However, FP work as a whole was almost stagnant in this period due to external constraints, particularly the chaotic "Cultural Revolution".
Since 1978, FP work in Guangxi progressed significantly. Leaders and FP workers at all levels refreshed their understanding of FP. More enforceable policies and regulations were made and measures were taken to build up FP teams. As a result, the birth rate was reduced from 27.27 per thousand in 1976 to 18.52 in 1983, and the natural increase rate from 20.61 per thousand to 12.92.
In this period, focus of FP work was switched to rural areas. Work in this area included further enhancing FP leadership; incorporating population control into economic planning; fine-tuning FP policies and regulations; improving FP awareness and education; establishing and improving FP responsibility system; and further improving FP network. As a result, population growth was checked.
Throughout the 1990s, local governments have paid greater attention to FP leadership. While adhering to the guideline of "three emphases" and adopting the approach of "three integrations" put forward by the central government, they also actively enhance standard management and legislation, FP publicity and education, and scientific management and contraceptive supplies.
In 1997, the newly born population of Guangxi numbered 735,000 (188,900 less than planned), with the birth rate standing at 15.93 per thousand (0.4 percentage point lower than planned). The net increase of population was 440,000 (190,000 less than planned), with the natural increase rate standing at 9.53 per thousand, (0.397 percentage point lower than planned).
To sum it up, Guangxi made the following achievements in its FP program over the last two decades:
( Bringing the rapid population growth under effective control. Population reproduction has developed in a modern rather than a traditional style. Age composition has turned from young to adult.
( Reducing the total fertility rate (TFR). Statistics show that TFR for Guangxi women averaged 5.36 between 1950-1981, however, in 1990, it was steadily reduced to 2.71.
( Delaying women's age at first marriage. In the 1950s and 1960s, average age at first marriage for ethnic women was below 20. That age was raised to 21.81 in 1974 and further to 22 in 1992. Meanwhile, the median age also increased from 19.98 in 1982 to 22.
( Raising contraceptive prevalence while reducing the birth rate and natural increase rate. The birth rate declined from 25.17 per thousand in 1989 to 19.60 in 1993, and the natural increase rate from 19.37 per thousand to 15.46. More than 6.1 million couples of childbearing age have taken contraceptive measures. Statistics show that in 1997, the birth rate and natural increase rate in Guangxi were both lower than the national average.
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