South China's Guangdong has maintained its position as the only province with a birth population surpassing 1 million for four consecutive years, and the province has also been the top performer in terms of births for six consecutive years, official data showed.
According to statistics that have been published by local authorities, a total of 1.03 million births were recorded in 2023 in Guangdong, resulting in a birth rate of 8.12 per thousand. Central China's Henan Province followed behind with 695,000 births, earning the second position, while East China's Shandong Province trailed with 610,000 births, claiming the third spot in the rankings.
In terms of birth rate, among the provinces with published data, there are six with a population birth rate exceeding 8 per thousand, namely Guizhou, Hainan, Qinghai, Yunnan, Guangdong, and Guangxi, mainly located in the western and southern regions.
In general, places with higher birth rates tend to have lower urbanization rates. However, there are exceptions, such as Guangdong, which has an urbanization rate of 75.42 percent, ranking fourth in the country, but with a high birth rate of 8.12 per thousand in 2023.
