Population: 1,210,004,956 (July 1996 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 26% (male 167,448,148; female 151,601,650)
15-64 years: 67% (male 421,455,418; female 393,913,510)
65 years and over: 7% (male 35,056,409; female 40,529,821) (July
1996 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.98% (1996 est.)

Birth rate: 17.01 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate: 6.92 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.34 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.11 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female
all ages: 1.06 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 39.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 69.62 years
male: 68.33 years
female: 71.06 years (1996 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.81 children born/woman (1996 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Chinese (singular and plural)
adjective: Chinese

Ethnic divisions: Han Chinese 91.9%, Zhuang, Uygur, Hui, Yi,
Tibetan, Miao, Manchu, Mongol, Buyi, Korean, and other nationalities
8.1%

Religions: Daoism (Taoism), Buddhism, Muslim 2%-3%, Christian 1%
(est.)
note: officially atheist, but traditionally pragmatic and eclectic

Languages: Standard Chinese or Mandarin (Putonghua, based on the
Beijing dialect), Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghaiese), Minbei
(Fuzhou), Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka dialects,
minority languages (see Ethnic divisions entry)

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1995 est.)
total population: 81.5%
male: 89.9%
female: 72.7%

Government
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Name of country:
conventional long form: People's Republic of China
conventional short form: China
local long form: Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo
local short form: Zhong Guo
abbreviation: PRC

Data code: CH

Type of government: Communist state

Capital: Beijing

Administrative divisions: 23 provinces (sheng, singular and
plural), 5 autonomous regions* (zizhiqu, singular and plural), and 3
municipalities** (shi, singular and plural); Anhui, Beijing**,
Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guangxi*, Guizhou, Hainan, Hebei,
Heilongjiang, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Jilin,
Liaoning, Nei Mongol*, Ningxia*, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong,
Shanghai**, Shanxi, Sichuan, Tianjin**, Xinjiang*, Xizang* (Tibet),
Yunnan, Zhejiang
note: China consid