Shanghai's registered population grows

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-03-14 19:25

SHANGHAI -- China's most populous municipality, the eastern financial capital of Shanghai, saw its registered population rise by 0.9 percent in 2008 despite the 16th consecutive year of deaths outnumbering births, a survey released on Friday showed.

There were 107,000 deaths and 96,700 births in the city last year, while the registered population was 13.71 million, up 121,800 on 2007. The increase was due to outsiders getting city registrations, said the 2008 Shanghai Demographic Survey.

It's not easy for people outside Shanghai to move their residence registration to the city. Entering a university in the city or marrying someone in the city are the more common methods.

Shanghai's deaths outnumbered births in 1993 with the end of the birth peak and an ageing of the population, a Shanghai municipal statistic bureau official said.

Meanwhile, the migrant population in the city is also on the rise, with 182,000 more in 2008, the survey said.

Shanghai is home to 18.88 million permanent residents, of whom 6.42 million are migrants, according to the survey.