1. Name: Anhui
2. Areas: 0.1394 million km²
3. Population: 62.199 million (in registered permanent household at the end of 1997)
4. Capital: Hefei City
5. Geography: Anhui province lies in the central area of South-East China, and the area of down stream of Yangtse River, between east longitude 114° 51¢ -119° 37¢ and north latitude 29° 41¢ -34° 38¢ . It crosses the areas of warm Temperate Zone and sub-tropical zone. Jiangsu, Zhejiang , Jiangxi, Hubei, Shandong and Henan Provinces lie on Anhui Province.
6. Natural resource: Anhui Province is rich in land resource, with a large of arable land and woodland. It also has a large of water resource, tea garden, orchard and mulberry garden. It is affluent in plant and animal resources, with more than 100 treasure plants and animals. There are more than 50 kinds of explored mines, in majority of coal, iron and copper. There are abundant natural scenery and various resorts and historic sites, such as the Yellow Mountain and the Jiuhua Mountain.
7. Economy: In 1997, the GDP of Anhui Province was 267 billion Yuan and its per capita GDP was 4,379 Yuan. The total amount of import and export got to 3.12 billion Yuan. Its total revenue of fiscal and total amount of grain were 23.5 billion Yuan and 28.027 million dun, respectively. In recent years, Anhui has been one of provinces with the most amount of production in grain, (edible) oil and cotton. However, in the national view, the economy of Anhui province is low, disproportion to its large population and affluent natural resource.
8. People's life: In 1997, total wage bill of workers and staff in working cohort was 27.378 billion Yuan. Per capita disposable wage of urban resident was 5,492 Yuan and per capita net income of rural resident was 1,808.8 Yuan. Per capita living expenditure of urban and rural resident were 4,429 Yuan and 1,796 Yuan. The numbers of sickbed and doctor per 10 thousand were 18 and 24.
9. Education: By the end of 1997, Anhui Province had 34 higher education institutes containing 96,000 students and 11,592 teachers, 4,831 junior and senior schools containing 3.697 million students and17.412 thousand teachers and 27.5 thousand primary schools containing 6.43 million students and 274.67 thousand teachers.

1. Size and Distribution

In 1997, Anhui has a population of 62.199 million, ranking the 8^th in China. Nevertheless, its size of land only accounts for 1.45% of the total size of China, ranking the 22nd. Its population density is 446 per km² , 3.5 times of the national average density.

There is a distinctive area difference in population distribution, dense in the north and sparse in the south. The first four highest population density areas are the North of Huai Plain, areas aside rivers, hill area of Jiang-huai, mountain area of west of Anhui, ranking from the high to the low. Mountain area of the south of Anhui has the lowest population density. The proportion of urban population is still low and that of the primary industry population is high. Though there are 53 minorities, their population accounts for less than 1% of the total population.


2. Population History

Since 1949, Anhui population can be divided into four stages. (1)1949-58, the first culmination of population growth with the PGR of 22.2‰; (2)1959-61, the period with the great decline of CBR for the serious natural disaster; (3)1962-73, the second culmination of population growth with the high PGR of 31.1‰; (4)1974-, the period of controlled population growth for the implementation of family planning. In short, Anhui population reproduction has transited from the high birth, high death and low growth to the eve of the high birth, low death and high growth. The new type of low birth, low death and low growth is coming.

3. Population Structure by Sex and Age

Anhui population sex ratio is high a bit, e.g. 106.89 in 1990, 105.44 in 1995 and 107.9 in 1997. The sex ratio of age group 0-4 is particularly high.

In 1997, the proportions of age group 0-14, 15-64 and 65+ were 25.04%, 68.18% and 6.78%, respectively. The median age was 28.35.

4. Fertility Level and Changes

Since the 1980s, the TFR of Anhui province has changed in form of saddle, from the high to the low and to the high again. TFR in areas surrounded rivers was lower than that in North-huai areas. In 1997, the CBR was 15.8‰ and the NGR was 9.3‰. According to the population projections by the high, middle and low parameters, it is important for Anhui Province to consolidate the achievement of family planning program by the end of this century when the culmination of birth continues.

5. Mortality and Life Expectancy

In the first ten years since the setup of P.R. China, the death rate declined greatly. Since the 1960s, the death rate has became stable. In recent years, for the aging of the age structure, the total death rate rose slightly, but actually the standardized death rate declined slightly. At present, the death curve of “J” became more smooth. The sex difference of death rate in reducing, but the difference of elderly death rate between urban and rural areas is still large. In 1997, the number of death was 396 thousand and the death rate was 6.5 ‰, slightly less than the average national one in the corresponding period.

The e₀ of Anhui province has risen from less than 35 before 1949 to 70.22 in 1990, among which that of male was 68.33 and that of female was 72.13.

6. Marital status, Family Size and Type

In 1997, Anhui had a population 15 and above of 46.623 million, among which 9.577 million were unmarried, 34.02 million were married, 284 thousand were divorced and 2.738 million were widowed.

In recent years, the family size has reduced little by little, but the total number of household has risen. Single person family, nuclear family and joint family are increasing, but stem family and others are decreasing. In 1997, the former was 3.75 and the latter was 16.577 million.

7. Aging of Population

In 1997, the proportion of population 60 and above was 10.12%. It indicates that Anhui province has become an aged society since then. In the elderly group, the population 60-69 dominates.

8. Population Quality

Compared with four national censuses, the general population education is increasing. Population educated has increased, but the illiterate rate has declines. In 1997, population educated was 46.6676 million, accounting for 76.17% of total population. The number of population educated per 100 thousand were 1,280 with above junior college, 5,800 with senior middle school, 29,980 with junior middle school and 39,080 with primary school. The number of illiterate population above 15 were 8.8158 million and the illiterate rate was 19.46%.

9. Migration and Population Floating

The growth of inner-provincial migration is slow. Its characteristics are as follows: working or business as the main motivation of migration; rural migrants dominated; economic development area as the main in-migration destination. In recent years, Anhui has been one of the largest net out-migration province. The out-migration focuses in 11 provinces, eps. in Jiangsu province and Shanghai city. The majority of in-migration is from Jiangsu and Sichuan provinces. Economic factors and distance are two main determinants of inter-provincial migration.


10. Population, Resource and Environment

Anhui is one of populous provinces in China, with the huge base, the high density and the rapid growth. The population pressure on resource and environment is increasing. The relations of population and grain, population and energy, population and land, water, forest and mineral resource are becoming more strained. Pollution from human being’s activity appears and increases. Resident’s living and health and human being’s survival are threatened.