(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-04-11 07:33

The population of the Tibet autonomous region was 2.84 million at the end of last year, up 30,000 from 2006, according to government figures.

However, it is unclear what percentage of the current population is ethnic Tibetans, according to a report by Tibet's regional bureau of statistics (TRBS) and a survey team from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

The 2000 NBS census said Tibetans then accounted for 92 percent of the population. However, a 2005 study jointly conducted by NBS and TRBS put the total at 95.3 percent.

Last year's study did not include ethnic breakdowns, because the figures were derived from samples, and the study wasn't as comprehensive as a census, an unnamed employee of the Tibet statistics bureau's general office told Xinhua Wednesday.

According to last year's report, the population growth rate has averaged 1.13 percent annually in recent years. About 20 percent of residents were urban.

China's family planning policy, which has limited most urban couples to one child and rural families to two since the late 1970s, does not apply to Tibetans.

According to the report, urbanities' average incomes increased 24.5 percent last year to 11,131 yuan ($1,600).

Farmers and herders had an average per capita net income of 2,788 yuan, up 14.5 percent year on year.

The central government plans to increase that figure by 2010 to 3,820 yuan - about the national average.

Last year, the region's gross domestic product grew 14 percent to more than 34.2 billion yuan.

Xinhua

(China Daily 04/11/2008 page5)