The latest China census data shows a slowdown in births over the last decade. (Photo: AFP-Yonhap News)
[Anchor]
Official figures from China show its population has been growing at its slowest pace in decades.
According to the latest census, there were just over 1.4 billion people, an increase of about half a percent from 2010.
The results suggest an aging society despite attempts by the government to boost the birth rate by ending its one-child policy five years ago.
The BBC's Robin Brant reports.
[Reporter]
China is still the most populous country in the world.
But the decades-long increase in the number of its people is slowing, all of which means long-term problems ahead for one of the world's key economic engines.
The once in a decade census showed a small increase in the number of children under 14 but also a big jump in people over 60, up by just over 5 percent.
There is already renewed talk about increasing the country's retirement age above 60 to deal with the pressure of caring for more elderly people.
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