Mainland's Population Growth Continues To Dip

The mainland's population rose by 15.23 million people last year, marking a continued decrease in the growth rate of the world's most populous nation.

Numbers released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Monday put the population at 1.395 billion last year, marking a growth rate of 3.81 percent.

The total included 30 million more men than women, considered a long-time outcome of the recently abandoned one-child policy under which boys were favoured over girls for cultural reasons.

The government estimates the mainland's population will peak at 1.442 billion in 2029 before beginning to decline the year after.

The mainland added more than 17 million to its population in 2016 and 2017 following the scrapping of the one-child policy, but the effect hasn't endured. (AFP)