Total population: 5.8 million (2003)

Population growth rate: 10.95 per thousand

Life expectancy (average): 69 years

Ethnicity:

There are 3.68 million Han people, accounting for 65.47 percent of Ningxia’s total population. Ningxia is home to 33 ethnic minority groups which have a total population of 1.94 million. Of this figure, the Hui people amount to 1.90 million, accounting for 33.88 percent of the region’s total population. Most of the Huis live in Tongxin, Guyuan, Xiji, Haiyuan, and Jingyuan counties as well as Wuzhong City and Lingwu County in the area irrigated with water diverted from the Huanghe River.

Literacy

In 2003, there were 35,134 undergraduates in 12 general universities, and 591 graduate students in 2 universities and/or research institutes. Altogether 1.27 million students were studying in 3,486 schools of various types at all levels. The number of pupils in 2,816 primary schools was 669,503. Students in 446 middle schools numbered 377,078; in 38 secondary vocational schools were 45,017 students. There were altogether 64,356 full-time teachers in the region.

The nine-year compulsory education was made possible in 16 counties, covering 68.3 percent of the population involved. The goal of eliminating illiteracy among young and middle-aged people in the region had basically been attained.