Shenyang sees population rise but Changchun, Harbin see drop

Shenyang in Liaoning province is the only provincial capital city in Northeast China to have had population growth in the past five years, it has been announced.

Statistics from a demographic bulletin involving the capital cities of Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning provinces reveal that the population of Shenyang in 2015, 2016 and 2017 is 7.30 million, 7.34 million and 7.38 million respectively; while the population during the same period in Changchun is 7.538 million, 7.534 million and 7.489 million; and that of Harbin is 9.61 million, 9.62 million and 9.55 million. As well as indicating the rising trend of the population in Shenyang, the statistics  show the declining trend of the population in Changchun and Harbin.

As with the growth of the urban population in Shenyang, the capital volume in the city in March reached 1.63 trillion yuan, ranking 16th among all the cities in China. This is a year-on-year growth rate of 10.9 percent, ranking third nationwide.

College enrollment, easing of the second-child policy and people moving to the city for jobs have all been factors in the growth of the population in Shenyang.

From 2013 to 2018, the number of students enrolled in universities in Shenyang increased to 403,600 from 383,600; many students choose to settle in Shenyang after graduation.

Meanwhile, the birth rate of the second child in Shenyang accounts for 28.4 percent of the total newborns in 2017, representing a growth of 5.4 percent compared with that in 2016.

Additionally, the growth of industries in Shenyang and the launch of preferential policies to attract talents have also resulted in the growth of the population in the city.