The National People's Congress (NPC), the country's top legislature, is the highest organ of state power.
Every March, NPC deputies gather in the Chinese capital of Beijing from every corner of the country to discuss
affairs of the state.
Who are these deputies? How old are they? Which ethnic groups do they belong to? What’s their educational
background? We use 2,975 dots to represent the deputies from 35 delegations
to take a look at their commonalities and individualities.
Proportion of female
deputies increased
Male
2,233
Female
742
Among the 2,975 deputies to the 13th NPC, there are 2,233 males and 742 females. That means female deputies account for 24.94
percent of the total.
This proportion has increased from
20.2 percent during the 10th NPC
(2003-2008).
The female deputy's proportion since 2003
Post-60s: Backbone of NPC
Post-90s: More women than men
The average age of the 2,975 NPC deputies is 53.77.
Among others, 1,672 deputies were born in the 1960s, taking up over a half of
the total. They are the backbone of China's top legislature.
Meanwhile, the younger the deputies, the more balanced the gender ratio.
The most well-represented
ethnic group: Tatar
China is a country composed of 56 ethnic groups, and the NPC
deputies are elected from all of these groups.
Among them, 2,538 are of the Han nationality, making up for 85 percent of the
total. The second largest group of deputies comes from the Hui nationality with 62 deputies.
The chances of a person becoming an NPC deputy can also depend on which ethnicity he/she hails from. For the
Tatar people, one in every 3,600 is an NPC deputy, making it the most
represented ethnic group. Ethnic Lahu sees the lowest proportion at merely 0.000206 percent, and Han comes
second, with the proportion standing at one in 480,000.
Nine in 10 deputies hold a
bachelor's degree or above
NPC deputies determine where China's major policies are headed. Their educational background speaks to their
capacity to govern and legislate. We have figures on the educational backgrounds of 2,198 deputies. 88.5 percent
of the deputies possess a bachelor's degree or above.Those with a master's degree make up the largest percentage (836).
PhDs come second (584).
Among deputies with master's and doctoral degrees, 911 were born in the 1960s.
Meanwhile, the younger the deputies, the lower the proportion of those with master’s and doctoral degrees.
Among those born in the 1960s, there's one master or PhD in every two deputies. While among those born in the
1980s, the proportion is only 10 percent.
In fact, the aforementioned proportions are much higher than those in the 2010 national population census. Take
the post-1960s for example: in 2010, China had 230 million people from the post-1960s generation, among which
there are 65,000 masters and PhDs – or one in 3,532.
Liberal arts grads outnumber science grads
Most popular major is management science
Liberal arts grads outnumber
science grads, most popular major
is management science
What about the professional backgrounds of the NPC deputies? According to the
categories of majors by China's Ministry of Education, management science, philosophy, literature, history,
education, art, economics, law and military science belong to the humanities and social sciences;
while science, engineering, agriculture, and medical science are natural sciences.
When looking at the highest degrees of the 1,777 deputies we have data for, 1,165 majored in the liberal arts, twice the number of science majors (612).
Specifically, one fifth graduated from management science,
followed by engineering, economics, law and science.
Moreover, 122 deputies received overseas education.
Most Educated Party:
Jiusan Society
Most Educated Party
Jiusan Society
Out of the total 2,975 deputies from 35 delegations, 2,172 are members of the Communist Party of China (CPC),
423 have no affiliation to any party, and 380 are from non-CPC parties.
The Jiusan Society holds the largest number of deputies amid the eight
non-CPC parties. 64 of its members are scattered across 25 delegations. It also boasts the highest ratio of
members with higher education: 84 percent of its members hold masters and PhDs.
Portraits of the deputies to the 13th NPC.