China's population will peak at 1.5 billion in the mid-2030s, experts predict.

According to a research report released yesterday, the population will begin to gradually drop after reaching the peak.

Meanwhile, the number of new-born baby boys will continue to outstrip that of baby girls, with 119 boys for every 100 girls, according to the national population development strategy research report.

The ratio has remained stable, with a national census six years ago yielding roughly the same figure, but is still worrying, according to the report.

The internationally recognized normal ratio is 103-107 of one sex against 100 of the other. But in China, for every 100 new born baby girls, there were 109 baby boys in 1982, and 111 in 1990.

Foetus gender identification and non-medical abortion, which continue despite being illegal, are blamed for the unbalanced gender figures.

A draft of a revision to the Criminal Law, which was discussed by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress late last year and this April, proposes that those who help identify the gender of a foetus for non-medical purposes face criminal charges.

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