Shanghai
I. Basic Figures
II Population Situation
Being one of the most tremendous metropolis of the world, the population size of Shanghai is big: the total is 1,305,4600 in 1997, occupying the 5th place among the 10 largest cities, only next to Mexico City, Tokyo, St., Paul and New York. In spite of the population density of Shanghai is as high as 2,059/per sq.km in average, distinct variations can be found between regions: in urban areas, the mean population density is 3,854/per sq.km while in suburban rural counties, the figure is only 776/ersq.km. Since 1993, Shanghai has been the first region of China with a negative fertility growth in its registered population, while the total registered people is increasing owing to in-migration. Namely, the increase rate is 0.08% comparing to the figure of 1997.In fact, the actual population is 15,300,000, counting in all drifting population. Besides, along with the urbanization and expending of metropolitan regions, urban population of Shanghai has increased to 10,185,900 in 1997, comparing to 9,610,200 in 1996. Generally speaking, there is such a trend, that settlements of urban inhabitants are extending to suburban areas where rural Inhabitants are also assembling at bordering line of metropolitan.
2. Population History
In past five decades, since the founding of the People’s Republic in 1949 to the date, the demographic trend of Shanghai can be divided into 5 phases:
Phase 1, 1949-1959, the period of booming. The net increased population is 5,255,000, and the average annual increase rate is 74 per thousand.
Phase 2, 1960-1968, the period of gradual increasing. The net increased number of the 9 years is 806,000, and the average annual increase rate is 8.4 per thousand.
Phase 3, 1969-1977, the period of shrinking. Altogether decreased by 225,000 in 9 years, and the rate of decrease is 2.3 per thousand each year.
Phase 4, 1978-1990, the period of increasing. The net increased number during the 13 years is 1,969,000, the increase rate per year is 12.9 per thousand. Phase 5, 1991-now, the period of low increase. The natural increase in Shanghai has become the mode of negative.
3. Population Structure by Sex and Age
Obvious changes happened in sex ratio since1949. In 1950s, the sex ratio of the total population of Shanghai is as high as 118.6. Whereas in 70s and 80s, the ratio decreased respectively to 98.4 and 98.6. After 1990, the sex ratio of the total population increased to 101.7, and later, stabilized around 101.6, one of the lowest among all provinces and municipalities of China.
In 1997, population of Shanghai is obviously characterized by aging, the proportion of young persons (0-14) has been shrinking to 58%, the lowest of the country while the proportion of persons aged 65 and over is 12.22%, the highest of the country. The proportion of persons aged from 15-60 is 72.22%. The total dependency ratio is 38.52%. Comparing to children dependency ratio of 21.59%, which is the lowest of the country, the ratio for aged is 16.93%, the highest of the country.
Shanghai Authorities began to advocate family planning as early as 1950s.After efforts of several decades, Shanghai presently has the lowest fertility throughout the country. Till the end of 1989, the fertility of Shanghai is 10.2 per thousand that is lower than 21.8 per thousand, the fertility of whole country of the same year by 10.2 per thousand. In the same period, the general birth rate of Shanghai is only 41.48 per thousand, lower than 79.53 per thousand, the average level of the whole country of the same period by 38.05 per thousand. The total fertility rate of Shanghai is 1.33 per women, and it is much lower than 2.25, the mean level of the whole country of the time. By early 1990s, Shanghai’s fertility level declined under the replacement level, and started negative growth since 1993.In 1997, the fertility is only 4.9per thousand, the natural growth rate of -2.4per thousand, and total fertility of 0.91 per women.
5. Mortality and Life Expectancy
At the early stage after the Liberation, the life expectancy of male is only 42.0 and female 45.6.The later decades, however, were characterized by renewed strong increase in life expectancy. By the year of 1990, life expectancy at birth rose both for males and females to 73.7 and 77.8. Between 1990 to 1997, it increased for males by additional 2.02 years and for females by 1.47 years. In 1997, life expectancy at birth was 75.7 for males and 79.2 for females, which are ahead of the mean level of the world as well as levels of many median income countries and Near the levels of some most developed countries.
6. Marital Status, Family Size and Type
The family size of Shanghai has tended to become smaller for a time. In 1990, the average family size is 3.10 persons, while in 1997, it decreased to 3.06 persons per family, much lower than the average figure of the country, 3.64 persons per family. Directed contradicted with its housing problem, Shanghai’s households in metropolis are generally bigger than those in suburban counties. Three-generation stem families are proved to be quite stable, a phenomenon opposing situations of anywhere around the country. Nuclear family occupies the largest share of the total, about 70.5%, among which 55.8 % are consisted by one couple with children and 14.69% are only consisted by husband and wife. Three- generations- stem family occupies 20.7%. Presently, the decline of single-parents family has ceased and in 1997, the percentage of single-parents family is 8.8%.
7. Aged of Population
The current population pyramid of Shanghai of the aged presents a shape likes a ladder, because of the existing larger proportion of the relatively younger aged, which will gradually shrink as the time passing. The pyramid also characterized by the larger part of female than male, and in age groups older, the sex ratio becomes lower. The larger part of elderly of Shanghai is distributed in urban areas. Two-thirds old persons have spouses, higher than the average level of the whole country, owing to the lower rates of divorce and widowhood.
8. Population Quality
9. Migration and Population Floating
There were once sharp rises and falls caused by migration throughout the period from1949, the establishment of the Country, to the year of 1980. Since then, the migration rates tended to be stable with a constant bigger in-migration than out-migration, and the wave motions were much less obvious than those of prior period, with an average net in-migration figure of 39,800 each year. The main determinants for those moves are job transferring, education, and technical training. Very high sex ratio can be observed in immigrants from other provinces, and sometime males could be two times more than females, which will definitely have a continued effect on the sex ratio of future population of Shanghai. The net migration-immigrants minus emigrants of 1997 amounts 47,500, and the percentage of increase caused by immigrants is 3.6per thousand.
Additionally, the size of the drifting population of Shanghai is expanding. Based on a survey conducted on Oct. 20, 1998, the total drifting population without household registration in Shanghai Municipality has reached 1,246,000, among which 1,058,000 were moved from neighboring provinces and foreign countries, all the other from suburb counties. In 1997, economic activities, such as laboring, business affairs, etc. are explained to be the major reasons for in-migrations, amounting to 67.5%, and the non-economical activities, such as relative visit, marriage tour, and tourism, amount to 22.9%. The rest, about 4.4% of the total are found for cultural activities, such as technical training and all kinds of meetings. Moreover, international migration of Shanghai now runs the highest of China.
10.Population, Resources and Environment
Despite of some advantages like rich water resources it has and favorable geographic position it locates, Shanghai’s facing disadvantage like soil and water pollution, caused by very high population and industry density. The environment problem has been viewed as a key determinant for the social and economic development of Shanghai. At the time of the being, a thorough environmental protection project is under implementation by the local Government, and, according to a prediction, the pollution of Shanghai would be possibly controlled by 2000, and the ecological environment will significantly improved till the year of 2020.
III Family Planning
Since the middle of 1950s, the first family program started, until now family planning of Shanghai can be divided into 5 stages: preparing stage, piloting stage, spreading stage, developing stage, and further improving stage.
1.Preparing Stage (1954-1961)
But the movement of family planning suffered a setback soon after its launching.
2.The Pilot Stage (1962-1969)
But during the period of “Cultural Revolution”, family planning program was disturbed and suspended for some time. As the result, fertility of Shanghai rose again.
In Jan. 1971, the 4th Congress of Shanghai Municipality put forward a suggestion: < To Improve Family Planning and Advocate Late Marriage>. In Sep. 1975, the standing committee of Shanghai Municipality agreed to organize a research office on demographic issues and contraceptives, after rounds of discussions. Then, there had been a family Planning Leading Group established in 1973 with a subordinate family planning office network at the levels of district, county, and working units all around Shanghai. Volunteer Teams, as large as 200,000 persons in total, were organized to spread family planning technical knowledge and contraceptive tools to each households. Considerable achievements were reached: for 7 years running, from 1972-78, Shanghai’s fertility stabilized about 10 per thousand, and natural increase rate at 5 per thousand.
In August 1981, Shanghai Municipality revised and reissued < Family Planning Regulations>, with some additional contents about healthy bearing, to advocate single child policy. Also in the period, demographic research institutions and offices were established within Shanghai Academic of Social Sciences, colleges, universities and mass organizations like population societies or family planning associations were organized. The first school for newly married couples was set up by the Shanghai Family Planning Technical Guiding Office and Shanghai Family Planning Association in Sep., 1985, to popularize knowledge on sexual physiology, contraception, child bearing and rearing. Throughout the period, the average birth rate is 15.33 per thousand, and the natural increase 8.83 per thousand.
The 16th session of 9th People’s Congress reviewed and approved <Family Planning Regulations of Shanghai>, and, in the same year, the Shanghai Municipal Authority issued <Detailed Regulations on Family Planning>. In 1991, after the promulgation of <Family Planning Regulations for Drifting Population>, the child bearing age group of drifting population was surveyed by township, residential district under each districts and suburb counties of Shanghai, to find out detailed situation of the group. For instance, it included contents about information on size of the population, their inhabitation, employment, contraception usage, and so on. The result showed that the contraceptive rate of the population in 1993 has reached more than 80%.
To adapt the need of a population with transferred demographic behavior of Shanghai, and requests from the mass, an education campaign on health of reproduction was launched since 1993. Within the next year, the total educated people have reached 2,540,000. In the year of 1997, according to statistics, the acceptance rate of only-child certificates is 61.08%, the rate of late marriage 65.1%, the rate of family planning 99.59%, and contraceptive prevalence rate 92.13%.
After unremitting efforts of more than 40 years, significant achievements have been achieved. The attitude of the people towards marriage, reproduction had greatly changed, from early marriage early child bearing, and more children means more happiness to late marriage late child bearing, and fewer and better birth. Population boom has been controlled indicated by a sharp decreased in fertility from 40.20 per thousand of 50s, to 6.5 per thousand of 1993, and to a further decreased rate of 4.9 per thousand in 1997. The natural increase rate has reduced from 32.10 per thousand of 50s to 0.78 per thousand of 1993, and -2.4 per thousand of 1997. The total fertility of each women also significantly reduced from 4.75 of 1950 to average rate of 1.12 of 90s, and the rate of 1997 was even as low as 0.91. At the mean time, the quality of population in the sense of both education and health has been greatly improved, which will certainly promote the social and economical development of Shanghai.
Note:
Mu, a traditional unit of area in China, 15 Mu equals to one hectare.
Reference: