The Information Office of Shanghai Municipality held a municipal government press conference today (May 18). Zhu Min, Director of the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Statistics and Deputy Director of the Shanghai Municipal Leading Group for the Seventh National Census, reported the key results. Shi Fang, Deputy Director of the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Statistics and Director of the Office of the Shanghai Municipal Leading Group for the Seventh National Census, and Ding Jun, Deputy Director of the Office of the Shanghai Municipal Leading Group for the Seventh National Census and Inspector of the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Statistics also attended the press conference and answered the questions by journalists.

Shanghai followed the requirements of the State Council’s Leading Group for the Seventh National Census and strictly enforced the census plan. All districts and departments involved coordinated and cooperated well to implement their tasks. Census bodies and takers of all levels executed the work diligently and meticulously. All Shanghai citizens took an active part in the census. As a result, Shanghai successfully completed the organization, data collection, quality check, and data summary of the Seventh National Census.

1. Introduction to the Seventh National Census

The Shanghai Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Shanghai Municipal Government attached great importance to the Seventh National Census. A leading group for the Seventh National Census was established to ensure that all requirements were strictly met and that all tasks were soundly executed. All the member units, districts, sub-districts, towns, and neighborhood committees coordinated to divide the work and implemented their tasks under unified leadership. 6,548 census units were set up across Shanghai, with more than 130,000 takers. They overcame the difficulty caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, went door to door to conduct the census, and documented high-quality data.

The census started from midnight, November 1st, 2020, and digital devices were widely used. The data were directly uploaded to the national database in real-time, elevating the data collection efficiency. QR code was used for the first time so that people could file self-reports. ID information was introduced for the first time so that nobody would be missed or counted repeatedly. Meanwhile, the protection for privacy and personal data was strengthened as the data collection, processing, and transmission followed the Level III national Internet security standard.

Since Shanghai is a megapolitan, a series of guidelines and regulations were drawn up to ensure that the census could be conducted smoothly and that emergencies could be handled properly. They included the regulation of managing digital data and the guideline of enforcing the prevention and control measures of Covid-19. These guidelines and regulations promoted the use of big data technology to help document and check the census data and improve their quality and security. Meanwhile, promotional campaigns were widely held among the public to articulate the importance of the census so that it could be conducted smoothly.

2. Major Findings of the Census

(1) De jure population. The number of de jure population in Shanghai is 24,870,895, an increase of 1,851,699 or 8.0% from 2010. The annual population growth rate from 2010 to 2020 is 0.8%, compared with 3.4% from 2000 to 2010.

(2) De jure population from outside Shanghai. Among the de jure population, 10,479,652 people come from places outside Shanghai, accounting for 42.1% of the total. This is an increase of 1,502,652 people or 16.7% compared with the results of the Sixth National Census conducted in 2010, with an annual growth rate of 1.6%.

(3) Household size. 9.6446 million households are documented among the de jure population, with a total of 22.3476 million people. 0.8222 million collective households are registered among the de jure population, with a total of 2.5233 million people. On average, there are 2.32 people per household, compared with 2.49 in 2010.

(4) Gender composition. Among the de jure population, males account for 51.8% and females 48.2%. The male-to-female ratio is 107.33 to 100, compared with 106.19 to 100 in 2010.

(5) Age composition. There are 2.4363 million people between 0 and 14 years old in Shanghai, accounting for 9.8% of the total population, an increase of 1.2 percentage points from 2010. There are 16.6191 million people between 15 and 59 years old in Shanghai, accounting for 66.8% of the total population, a decrease of 9.5 percentage points from 2010. There are 5.8155 million people above 60 years old in Shanghai, accounting for 23.4% of the total population, an increase of 8.3 percentage points from 2010. It should be noted that there are 4.049 million people above 65 years old in Shanghai, accounting for 16.3% of the total population, an increase of 6.2 percentage points from 2010. Shanghai’s demographic change in terms of age composition goes in line with that of the entire nation. The composition of children rises while a more aging society is taking shape.

(6) Ethnicity composition. There are 24.4711 million ethnic Hans Chinese in Shanghai, an increase of 7.6% from 2010. They account for 98.4% of the total population. There are 0.3998 million ethnic minorities in Shanghai, an increase of 44.8% from 2010. They account for 1.6% of the total population.

(7) Education background. In Shanghai, there are 8.4242 million people who have a higher education background. That means for every 100,000 people, 33,872 people have a higher education background, an increase from 21,893 people in 2010. Among all the people 15 years old and above, the average length of education they receive has risen from 10.7 to 11.8 years. The proportion of illiterate people has dropped from 2.74% to 1.61%. The proportion of people with a higher education background has witnessed a fast increase, a major demographic change over the last decade.

(8) Urban and rural population. 22.2094 million people in Shanghai live in urban areas, accounting for 89.3% of the total population. 2.6615 million people in Shanghai live in rural areas, accounting for 10.7% of the total population.

(9) District distribution of de jure population. The population in Shanghai’s central districts accounts for 26.9% of the total, a decrease of 3.4 percentage points from 2010. The population in Pudong New Area accounts for 22.8% of the total, an increase of 0.9 percentage points from 2010. The population in Shanghai’s suburban districts accounts for 50.3% of the total, an increase of 2.5 percentage points from 2010.

It is people that underpin a city’s development. Shanghai will fully use the census data for further research and release more findings through various channels. Prospective studies on population development will also be strengthened to provide complete, accurate, and scientific information to help build Shanghai into a modernized socialist metropolis with global influence.