The government estimates China's population will peak at 1.442 billion in 2029 before beginning to decline the year after.

China’s population rose by 15.23 million people in 2018, marking a continued decrease in the growth rate of the world’s most populous nation.

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Numbers released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Monday put the population at 1.395 billion in 2018, marking a growth rate of 3.81 percent over the previous year.

The total included 30 million more men than women, considered a long-time outcome of the recently abandoned one-child policy under which boys were favored over girls for cultural reasons.

The government estimates China’s population will peak at 1.442 billion in 2029 before beginning to decline the year after.