(Yicai Global) Jan. 30 -- China’s population fell for the first time in 61 years in 2022, but the headcount in several provinces, including Jiangxi, rose mainly because of economic growth in non-coastal areas driven by the transfer in of industrial chains.

The number of permanent residents in Jiangxi rose by 105,800 to 45.3 million last year. About 11,300 were natural increases (births minus deaths), and about 94,500 were net inflows of people, per recent data released by the authorities in the southeastern inland province.

Jiangxi’s gross domestic product rose 4.7 percent in 2022, tying for first place in China with neighbor Fujian province, and its industrial added value above a designated size jumped 7.1 percent, 3.5 percentage points higher than the national level, the data showed.

Jiangxi has been one of the provinces with the fastest economic growth in recent years. One important reason is a great many industries have moved there from the eastern part of the country, Ma Zhihui, director of the Institute of Economics of Jiangxi Academy of Social Sciences, told Yicai Global.

And with the rapid development of the province’s economy, many people who left for work have returned to start their own businesses or have found local employment, Ma added.

Jiangxi has geographical advantages as it is adjacent to the Yangtze River and Pearl River deltas and has made great efforts to improve its business environment, he added. It has also improved its transport and distribution networks in recent years, thereby attracting many companies to develop their businesses in the province.

The permanent resident population of south-central Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, meanwhile, jumped by 100,000 to 50.5 million last year, while that of Chongqing, a municipality in central China directly under the central government, increased by 9,000 to 32.1 million. That of western Gansu province rose by 20,000 to 24.9 million, according to data.

The Covid-19 pandemic hit the eastern coastal areas hard in the past three years, which was one of the reasons why some migrant workers returned to their hometowns for jobs, Ma noted.

Editor: Dou Shicong