Population growth rate: 4.98‰.

Life expectancy (average): 71 years (1990).

Ethnicity:

In the province, apart from Han, there are Manchu, Hui, Mongolian, Zhuang, Korean, Miao, and Tujia, totaling 53 minority ethnic groups in all. The population of these ethnic groups accounts for 4 percent of the provincial total. Now, there are six autonomous counties of minority ethnic groups.

Education:

In 2000, the coverage rate of the nine-year compulsory education program reached 98.9 percent. There were various schools with a total enrolment of 13.99 million students at different grades. The province has built up a comparatively complete educational system involving fundamental education, vocational and technical education, general higher education, and higher learning courses for adults and secondary education as its principal constituents in addition to kindergartens.