POPULATION

• Ethnic groups: Han Chinese 91.5%, Zhuang, Manchu, Hui, Miao, Uighur, Tujia, Yi, Mongol, Tibetan, Buyi, Dong, Yao, Korean, and other nationalities 8.5%
• Languages Standard Chinese or Mandarin (Putonghua, based on the Beijing dialect), Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghainese), Minbei (Fuzhou), Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka dialects, minority languages (see Ethnic groups entry)
• Religions Daoist (Taoist), Buddhist, Christian 3%-4%, Muslim 1%-2%
• Total population 1,343,239,923
• Age structure 0-14 years: 17.6% (male 126,634,384/female 108,463,142), 15-64 years: 73.6% (male 505,326,577/female 477,953,883), 65 years and over: 8.9% (male 56,823,028/female 61,517,001) (2011 est.)
• Urbanization urban population: 47% of total population (2010), rate of urbanization: 2.3% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
• Major cities population: Shanghai 16.575 million; BEIJING (capital) 12.214 million; Chongqing 9.401 million; Shenzhen 9.005 million; Guangzhou 8.884 million (2009)
• Sex ratio at birth: 1.13 male(s)/female, under 15 years: 1.17 male(s)/female, 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
• 65 years and over: 0.92 male(s)/female, total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2012 est.)
• Literacy: 92.2%
• School years (primary to tertiary education): 12 years