Population pressure to continue

The government has to address a number of major population issues that could hinder its economic development, scholars said at a population forum yesterday.

It has to manage the largest population in the world, which will continue to exert great pressure on the economy, natural resources and the environment, said Li Bin, minister of the National Population and Family Planning Commission.

The scholars estimated that China's population would peak in 2033 to 1.5 billion, increasing by an average of 8 million a year. And the working population - people aged between 15 and 64 - will peak in 2016 to 990 million. Their numbers would fall to 970 million in 2030 and 870 million in 2050.