Beijing now holds slightly less than the number of Australia's entire population.
The municipal bureau of statistics in Beijing released a recent data showing that population of China's capital has increased by almost half a million to 21.15 million last year.
The data also showed that Beijing's population was a little less compared to the entire number of residents in Australia which is at 22.97 million. In 2012, Australia recorded 22.77 million residents which only increased by hundreds of thousands compared to Beijing's half a million increase in a span of one year.
However, in a country as big and as populous as China, figures from the recent statistics would not come as a surprise. China holds a total of 1.3 billion people, reported China Daily.
The figures in the latest data released were based on a survey conducted by the Beijing's statistics bureau. The survey also found out that Beijing holds more than 8 million immigrants. The large number of migrants in the city comprised almost half of its entire population.
The rest of Beijing residents were found to have been officially registered with household papers. Hukuo-toting residents are entitled to education and health care benefits.
On the other hand, a statistical data was released by Shanghai authorities showing that the population in the city has increased by around 350,000 last year. Shanghai now has a total of 24.15 million residents including 10 million migrants. The figure shows that the entire population of this Chinese city is about the entire North Korea population.
Chongqing has been named as the most populous municipality in the country with 29.7 million residents. However, Chongqing is about five times bigger than Beijing and 13 times the size of Shanghai. It also has a vast countryside and can be likened to a small province rather than an urban area.