Study gives a snapshot of Beijing growth

Population ticks down slightly and is getting older; education level high

The population of Beijing dropped slightly and is getting older, but residents are more educated, according to a study released on Sunday.

The capital's registered resident population in 2017, including registered migrants, was 21.7 million, 22,000 fewer than the previous year, according to a blue book released by the Beijing Population and Development Research Center and the Social Sciences Academic Press on Sunday.

Experts say that the decline is the result of some labor-intensive industries having been moved out of the city, so those workers are no longer counted as residents.