A panoramic view of Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. [Photo by Ai Lin/WeChat account: hzfbwx]

The Hangzhou statistics bureau on May 17 released the results of the seventh census by the National Bureau of Statistics in 2020, local media outlets reported.

According to the census data, the city's permanent population over the past 10 years has grown 37.19 percent from 8.70 million to 11.94 million, with an annual average growth rate of 3.21 percent.

The urban population grew by 3.57 million to 9.92 million in 2020, accounting for 83.29 percent of the city's total population, while the rural population decreased by 333,794 to 1.99 million.

The sex ratio of the permanent population increased from 105.04 in 2010 to 108.67 in 2020, with 52.08 percent of the population being male and 47.92 percent being female.

The data also revealed the aging trend of the population, as the number of people aged 60 or above reached 2.01 million, growing 3.47 percent from 2010.

Education among the population showed encouraging signs. The number of people holding bachelor's degrees or higher per 100,000 people has grown from 18,881 in 2010 to 29,317 in 2020, while the numbers of people with only a senior high, junior high, or primary school educational background have dropped to 15,366, 26,227, and 20,642, respectively.

The census is a useful tool for analyzing the turning points in Hangzhou's development, the economic signals they send, and the challenges and opportunities they create.