China, as the world’s most populous country, is growing with pain. Gender imbalances and urban issues are the biggest challenges facing the country.
China carried out its sixth national census last November. The results show the country’s population has hit 1.33 billion, up 5.9 percent from the last census in 2000.
Though the growing pace is slowing down, the unbalanced gender ratio is picking up. The census shows there are 118 men for every 100 women in the country. According to the current trend, about 24 million men will not be able to find women to marry in 10 years time.
But that does not mean that women are going to have more choice. Because over the last 10 years, most male births have been in the countryside. The huge gap between cities and the countryside now makes it difficult for city girls to settle down in the countryside.
The world’s second largest economy is also rapidly urbanizing. Nearly half of Chinese now live in cities, especially in metropolises. The capital, Beijing’s population has risen to 19.6 million, up 45 percent from 10 years ago. But the growing population is far from the city’s capacity.
The floating population of 220 million is the main cause of these urban problems. It’s almost double the number from 10 years ago. The centralization of social resources is the reason behind the large floating population.
Xinhua