Year | Population | Male % | Female % | Urban Pop. | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 66,270,000 | - | - | Source | |
| 2022 | 65,770,000 | - | - | 48,260,000 | Source |
| 2021 | 65,400,000 | - | - | 47,520,000 | Source |
| 2020 | 64,680,000 | - | - | 46,680,000 | Source |
| 2019 | 63,750,000 | - | - | 45,630,000 | Source |
| 2018 | 62,730,000 | - | - | 43,920,000 | Source |
| 2017 | 61,700,000 | - | - | 42,520,000 | Source |
| 2016 | 60,720,000 | - | - | 41,120,000 | Source |
| 2015 | 59,850,000 | - | - | 39,690,000 | Source |
| 2014 | 58,900,000 | - | - | 38,260,000 | Source |
The population of the province of Zhejiang is 64.6 million souls, which is the 8th largest province in the People's Republic of China by population. It is called the backbone of China because it is considered the major driving force of the Chinese economy, where one of the most notable Chinese entrepreneurs, Jack Ma (credited with founding Alibaba) was born.
The demographics of the region largely match many of the other provinces, as the vast majority of the population is considered part of the Han Chinese subgroup. The people within the region speak the Wu dialect of traditional Chinese. The largest minority group within the province is the She people. The Jingning She Autonomous County houses most of the people within this group and is the only autonomous county in China that is recognized for being a She-only district.
Religion within the area is centered around Chinese Buddhism and Taoist traditions for those who identify with a spiritual religion. The biggest section of the distribution is those who do not associate themselves with any organized religion or have folk religions. As the People's Republic of China continues to employ communist concepts, secularity is encouraged within the country, so most census surveys cannot fully capture religious beliefs and traditional cultures.
Zhejiang, sometimes romanized as Chekiang, is a coastal province in the eastern part of the People's Republic of China. The capital city is Changzhou, which is also the largest and principal city in the province, with Ningbo and Wenzhou as two more notable cities. The area of the Zhejiang province was originally controlled by the Kingdom of Yue during the Spring and Autumn period, which was later annexed by the Qin Empire in the year 222 BC. During the late Ming dynasty and Qing dynasty, the provincial ports became of extreme and crucial importance for their coastal position and access to global trade.
During the Second Sino-Japanese War, the province was occupied and unofficially annexed by the Empire of Japan, but continued as a puppet state under the Reorganized National Government of China. Once the war was lost by the Japanese Empire, the economy fully changed the new regime (Mao Zedong) and its policies. After the Chinese economic reform, the province is considered one of the wealthiest provinces in China, fourth in total GDP and fifth in GDP per capita. The chief important exports are food, construction materials, chemicals, textiles, and electromechanical products.
There are many tourist destinations found within the province due to its coastal position in the eastern part of the province. This attracts many foreign visitors, whether it is for business or pleasure. One of the most breathtaking natural landscapes is Mount Mogan, which is a scenic mountain that is an hour away from the capital city of Hangzhou that contains many pre-WW2 structures and villas. These were built by foreigners and also have Chian Kai-shek's Kuomintang compounds.