The 1964 Chinese census, officially the Second National Population Census of the People's Republic of China, was conducted by the
People's Republic of China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
with a zero hour of 1 July 1964.
The results of the census were not publicized and its very existence was not officially acknowledged until the early 1980s.
[Kirkby, Richard J.R. ]
Urbanisation in China: town and country in a developing economy, 1949-2000 AD
'. Taylor & Francis, 1985. . Accessed 28 Mar 2012.
The 1964 census included additional information about education, occupation, and class to the information gathered by the first census concerning name, age, sex, nationality, and relationship to heads of households.
[Aird, John S.]
The Preparations for China's 1982 Census
. ''The China Quarterly'', No. 91 (Sept 1982), pp. 369-385. Cambridge University Press.
Results
Total Population
The census found the total population of
Mainland China
"Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory governed by the People's Republic of China (including islands like Hainan or Chongming), excluding dependent territories of the PRC, and other territories within Greater China. ...
in 1964 as 694,581,759.
However, the official summaries published in ''Chinese Sociology and Anthropology'' by the Chinese State Statistical Bureau in 1984 listed the 1964 population as 723,070,269.
[Chinese State Statistical Bureau. "Major statistics from the second population census (1964)". ''Chinese Sociology and Anthropology''. 1984 Spring-Summer; 16(3-4):66-8. Accessed 28 Mar 2012.] China's official
Xinhua
Xinhua News Agency (English pronunciation: )J. C. Wells: Longman Pronunciation Dictionary, 3rd ed., for both British and American English, or New China News Agency, is the official state news agency of the People's Republic of China. Xinhua ...
news organization continues to report this larger figure.
[''Xinhua Net''.]
Backgrounder: China's national population censuses
. 28 Apr 2011. Accessed 28 Mar 2012.
Demographics
The census found approximately 356,520,000 men and 338,060,000 women living in China, a ratio of 105.46 to 100.
The average household size was 4.43, an increase of
1/
10 person per household from the previous census. 40.69% of the population was 14 or under; 55.75% of the population was between 15 and 64; and 3.56% of the population was 65 or older.
Han Chinese
The Han Chinese () or Han people (), are an East Asian ethnic group native to China. They constitute the world's largest ethnic group, making up about 18% of the global population and consisting of various subgroups speaking distinctive va ...
accounted for approximately 654,560,000 persons (94.24% of the total).
Minorities accounted for approx. 40,020,000 persons (5.76%).
127,100,000 Chinese were classified as living in cities, an urbanization rate of 18.30%.
[. Cit. in Coutsoukis, Photius. Allcountries.org:]
4-4 Basic Statistics on National Population Census in 1953, 1964, 1982, 1990 and 2000
. 2006. Accessed 28 Mar 2012.
Provincial Distribution
Controversy
As with the 1953 census, the accuracy of the Second National Population Census was questioned by many outside observers. The information collected about occupation and education was so unsystematic, it could not even be accurately tabulated,
although the nation's illiteracy rate was recorded as 32.26%
and 33.58%.
See also
*
Demographics of China ''
The demographics of China demonstrate a huge population with a relatively small youth component, partially a result of China's one-child policy. China's population reached 1 billion in late 1981.
As of December 2021, China's population stood ...
*
Urbanization in the People's Republic of China
Urbanization in China increased in speed following the initiation of the reform and opening policy. As of 2022, China had an urbanization rate of 64.7% and was expected to reach 75-80% by 2035.
By 2010, the OECD, based on Functional Urban Area ( ...
*
National Population Census of the People's Republic of China The Chinese census, officially the National Population Census of the People's Republic of China, is the national census of the People's Republic of China.
It has been carried out seven times in the history of the People's Republic of China.
*1953: ...
**
(1953)
**
(1982)
**
(2010)
Notes
References
{{Census of China
1964
Events January
* January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved.
* January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...
1964 in China
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...