At the end of 2006, China's population totaled 1.31448 billion, increasing 6.92 million over the previous year. The year 2006 saw 15.84 million births nationwide, representing a birth rate of 12.09 per thousand, and 8.92 million deaths, or a mortality rate of 6.81 per thousand. The year's natural population growth rate was 5.28 per thousand. The sex ratio at birth was 119.25 males per 100 females.

Population Composition 2006

In 2005, the annual per-capita net income of rural households was 3,587 yuan, a real increase of 7.4 percent year on year after adjustment for inflation. The per-capita disposable income of urban households was 11,759 yuan, a real increase of 10.4 percent. The Engel coefficient (which refers to the proportion of food expenditure to the total consumption expenditure of households) was 43 percent for rural households and 35.8 percent for urban households. The population in absolute poverty in rural areas (calculated on the basis of annual per-capita net income of 693 yuan) was 21.48 million at the end of 2006, a decline of 2.17 million over the previous year. The low-income population in rural areas (based on the standard of annual per-capita net income between 694 and 958 yuan) was 35.5 million, a decline of 5.17 million.

Beijing residents take a leisure walk in a park in spring.

The general level of consumer prices in China was up 1.5 percent over the previous year. Of this, the cost of service items went up 1.8 percent. The retail prices of commodities were up 1 percent while the producer prices for manufactured goods increased 3 percent and the purchasing prices for raw materials, fuels and power went up 6 percent. The cost of investment in fixed assets was up 1.5 percent. The producer prices of farm products were up 1.2 percent. The sales prices for housing in 70 large and medium-sized cities were up 5.5 percent.