Guangzhou, one of the major gateways to south China, has a resident population of 10.15 million, making it the country's fifth most populous city, according to a white paper on local economic and social development.
Guangzhou, also capital of Guangdong Province, is smaller only than Chongqing, Shanghai, Beijing and Tianjin.
Guangzhou has maintained a low birth rate in recent years, says the white paper. It concluded that Guangzhou's fast-growing population is caused by an influx of people from outside Guangdong who are attracted to work or do business.
According to the white paper, 63,767 babies were born in Guangzhou last year, with the birth rate being 9.1 per thousand, and the natural growth rate of the population being 3.94 per thousand.
The city has set a goal of keeping its resident population within 10.45 million, its birth rate beneath 11.5 per thousand, and natural population growth rate below 5.7 per thousand by the end of this year.
(China Daily March 26, 2002)
