China's urbanisation increases to 52.57% in 2012

BEIJING: China's urban population accounted for 52.57 per cent of the total population in 2012, up 1.3 percentage points from a year earlier, latest figures showed today.

Over 52.57 per cent of the 1.354 billion people live in urban areas, according to data released by China's National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

Last year, China's population increased by 6.69 million more compared to 2011, according to the data.

Chinese leaders have been pushing for rapid urbanisation as they believe it is a better way to provide basic amenities and employment to people.

China's urban population is expected to reach 70 per cent of the total population by 2030 and the country needs to handle its fast urbanisation in the right manner, as it could create difficulties, especially environmental problems, World Bank said last year.

"Each additional percentage-point increase in urbanisation means over 10 million more rural residents becoming city-dwellers", Zheng Xinli, Vice-Chairman, China Center for International Economic Exchange said.

Each city-dweller will spur at least 100,000 yuan ($ 15,873) in investment in infrastructure, he said.

According to leading international consultancy firm McKinsey & Company, China is expected to have 221 megacities -- 10 out of which would have a population of more than 10 million each -- and an urban population of about one billion by 2025.