China's latest population growth has become clear after local regions released their population data, with South China's Guangdong remaining the leading province in terms of growth for six consecutive years.
At the end of 2023, the permanent population of Guangdong was 127.06 million, an increase of 490,000 from the end of the previous year and the annual number of births was 1.03 million, with a birth rate of 8.12 per mille, according to the recent-released statistical bulletin on Guangdong's economic and social development in 2023.
Starting from 2019, Guangdong has been the only province to see annual births surpass 1 million for four consecutive years, while it has remained the leading province in terms of birth rate for six consecutive years.
Data also shows that the province's permanent urban population was 95.83 million, accounting for 75.42 percent of the permanent population (urbanization rate), an increase of 0.63 percentage points from the previous year. The number of deaths was 680,000, with a death rate of 5.36 per mille; the natural population growth was 350,000, with a natural growth rate of 2.76 per mille.
