China's population continued to grow in 2021

The latest population figure increased by 480,000 compared with the end of 2020, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed.

The figure does not include Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan residents and foreigners who live in the mainland's 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities, Xinhua news agency quoted the NBS as saying.

The number of newborns in 2021 stood at 10.62 million, according to the NBS data, with the birth rate at 7.52 thousandths.

China's population living in urban areas on the mainland increased by 12.05 million from the end of 2020 to 914.25 million by the end of 2021, representing 64.72 per cent of the total, the data showed. 

Rural population stood at 498.35 million, down by 11.57 million from the end of 2020.