China's eastern metropolitan has seen the sharpest decline in population for the first time in this century.
The city's normal population, which includes residents who have been in the location for six months or more, was reportedly 24.15 million at the end of 2015, making a decline of 0.4 percent of population per year, according to the city's statistics bureau.
The city of Shanghai has seen a rapid rise in the industries and has been a magnet for job seekers from all around China and abroad, but its aging local population in addition to low birth rate has dragged down the growth figure, according to reports from China Daily.
Although there has been a steady decline in the population growth, yet according to population experts, the last year's decline can be attributed to the measure to curb the population growth in order to alleviate the pressures on traffic flow, infrastructures and resources, both natural and man - made.
Zhou Haiwang, a demographer with Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, said the city had relocated many residents by phasing out obsolete industrial capacities and demolishing illegal buildings.
According to Zhou, the trend of the city befitted its plans to limit the permanent population within 20 million by 2020.
Growth of its permanent population stood at 1.95 percent, 1.4 percent, 1.46 percent and 0.44 percent between 2011 and 2014.
