Chinese President Xi Jinping registered for the national population census on Monday and stressed that the census has great importance in formulating economic and social policies.

China kicked off its seventh national population census last Sunday with about seven million staff visiting homes for registration work. This year, for the first time, all information collected is filled in through the internet and directly uploaded to the national database in real time, eliminating possible human interference.

The president answered questions one by one from the census takers who typed the information into a tablet, and then signed his name in the applicant's signature column.

China has the largest population in the world, and the population issue has always been a strategic one, Xi said, praising the previous censuses for their important roles in making related policies. 

Noting that some remarkable changes have taken place in China's population development during these years, Xi said that the census will help provide accurate statistical information and support for improving the population development strategy, so as to promote the high-quality economic development.

China is facing the pressure of a large population and the challenge of demographic transition, Xi said.

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Xi stressed that under the condition of regular prevention and control work against the pandemic, more efforts from census workers are needed and greater understanding and support from the whole society are necessary.

China has conducted a national population census every 10 years since the 1990s. The previous census showed its population had increased to 1.37 billion.

Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, six national censuses have been completed. Throughout the six decades, China's population has boomed from 600 million (1953) to 700 million (1964), 1.03 billion (1982), 1.16 billion (1990), 1.29 billion (2000), and 1.4 billion (2010).