The Tibet Autonomous Region is the provincial level region with the smallest population and population density in China. Its 2004 population was 2.7368 million, a net increase of 351,000 over the 2003 figure.
As monks and nuns were not allowed to marry and did not normally engage in production, the Tibetan population witnessed a reduction of eight million from the 7th century to the period of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), and a further reduction of 800,000 from 1911 to 1950, the year before Tibet gained peaceful liberation.
Data shows that the period from 1951 to the present time is the one witnessing the fastest growth of the Tibetan population in the past 1,000 years or more. Since 1970, the birthrate and the natural growth rate have remained above the national average. The same period has also seen impressive improvement in the health of the Tibetans, with a lifespan averaging 67 years, as against 35.5 years before 1951.
Changes in Tibetan Population
|
Time |
Tibetan Population |
Remarks |
|
Peaceful liberation of Tibet in 1951 |
1.15 million |
Death rate: 28‰; infant mortality rate: 430‰ |
|
First national census in 1953 |
1.275 million |
The national census did not include the Qamdo area and Tibet as a whole. Tibetan population was counted based on estimates of the local government of Tibet then under the leadership of the 14th Dalai Lama |
|
Second national census in 1964 |
1.251 million |
Population of the Tibetan ethnic group stands at 1.209 million, or 94.4% of the national total of Tibetans |
|
Fourth national census in 1990 |
2.196 million |
A net increase of 1.196 million over 1950 |
|
Fifth national census in 2000 |
2.6163 million (including those hailing from other parts of China and excluding those who have left Tibet |
The population of the Tibetan ethnic group is 2.4111 million, 92.2 percent of the total. The Hans total 155,300, or 5.9 percent of the total; the population of other ethnic groups reaches 49,900, or 1.9 percent. Compared to the fourth national census conducted in 1990, the population of the Tibetan ethnic group increased by 314,400, or 15 percent. |
|
2004 |
Year-end population reaches 2.7368 million |
When compared with 2003, there was a net increase of 35,100, with the birthrate reaching 17.4‰, the death rate 6.2‰ and the population growth rate 11.2‰. The population of the Tibetan ethnic group was double that of 1951; the infant mortality rate dropped from 43% in 1959 to 3.1%; and the life expectancy rose from 35.5 years to 67 years. |
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