People attend a job fair on September 26, 2025, in Sanya, South China's Hainan Province. Photo: VCG

Household income and spending in China have steadily grown, and public services such as education, healthcare, culture and social security have made significant progress. Notably, the size advantage of the total population and working-age population in China remains evident, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said in the newly released statistical report on social and livelihood development during the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) period. 

On population, by the end of 2024, China's total population stood at 1.40828 billion, ranking among the highest in the world. In 2024, the population aged 16-59 - those of  working age - reached 857.98 million, accounting for 60.9 percent of the total population, demonstrating that the demographic advantage and dividend still exist, the NBS report said. 

On the country's population, it is still concentrated in urban areas and eastern regions, the NBS said, adding that by the end of 2024, China's urban population reached 943.5 million, with an urbanization rate of 67 percent, an increase of 3.11 percentage points compared to the end of 2020. The permanent population in the eastern region reached 567.02 million, accounting for 40.32 percent of the national total - an increase of 0.30 percentage points from 2020.

Meanwhile, quality of the country's population development continues to improve. In 2024, average life expectancy in China reached 79.0 years, an increase of 1.07 years from 2020, and five years higher than the global average, according to the NBS.

The average number of years of education among the working-age population aged 16-59 reached 11.21 years, up 0.46 years compared to 2020. The proportion of Chinese citizens with scientific literacy reached 15.37 percent, an increase of 4.81 percentage points since 2020, the NBS said. 

The NBS report said the employment situation remains generally stable and employment structure continues to improve. By the end of 2024, the total number of employed persons nationwide reached 734.39 million, of which 473.45 million were employed in urban areas - an increase of 10.74 million compared to the end of 2020. 

To promote employment, various regions and departments have taken a series of measures. Yu, a county-level Party secretary in North China's Hebei Province, told the Global Times that actions such as promoting employment have been one of the priorities in their departments in recent years. 

"In my position, I really get that the 14th Five-Year Plan isn't some far-off, abstract idea. It might show up as a fresh walking trail in the local park, steady growth in your parents' pension account, or a vital loan that helps an entrepreneur get started," Yu said.

On the support for key groups in employment, the NBS said that in 2024, the national average surveyed urban unemployment rate was 5.1 percent, down 0.5 percentage points from 2020. 

In 2024, a total of 5.15 million unemployed people were helped to find jobs, while 1.63 million individuals facing difficulties gained employment through targeted support measures. Employment assistance programs have been steadily strengthened, according to the NBS report. 

The NBS report said that China's social security system is the largest in the world, with continuously improving protection levels. By the end of 2024, the number of people enrolled in the national basic pension insurance scheme reached 1.07 billion, the report said. 

China is committed to improving people's well-being while pursuing development, advancing the comprehensive growth of social programs, and tackling the pressing issues that matter most to the public, Yuan Xin, a professor at the School of Economics at Nankai University, told the Global Times.

As people's quality of life keeps improving and their sense of security continues to strengthen, a solid foundation has been laid for social development in the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) period to advance toward higher quality, greater efficiency, more fairness and stronger sustainability, the NBS said.