Beijing’s population set to fall as government’s efforts to trim migrant numbers pay dividends

Number of long-term residents rose by just 24,000 in 2016 to 21.7 million, according to university report

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A crackdown by the Beijing government on migrant workers appears to be working as the city’s population is forecast to fall this year. Photo: Handout

Published: 9:02am, 3 Oct 2017Updated: 11:27pm, 3 Oct 2017

After years of trying to reduce the number of migrant workers living in the city, Beijing’s population is forecast to fall this year, according to a recent study.

The municipal government on Friday released plans to cap the population at 23 million from 2020 onwards and bring the city’s air quality in line with international standards.

According to the report by Beijing University of Technology, the capital’s long-term population rose by just 24,000 in 2016 to 21.7 million.

Of the total, the number of permanent residents increased by 177,000 to 13.6 million, but the figure for migrant workers – who are classed as long-term if they have lived in the city for six months or more – fell by 151,000 to 8.1 million, the report said.

The Beijing government has set a goal to cap the city’s population at 23 million by 2020. Photo: AFP

Although the rate of growth in the number of migrant workers has been slowing since 2010, last year’s decline was significant, and indicated that the government’s efforts to slash the unregistered population were paying dividends, the report’s author and sociology professor Li Junfu said.