BEIJING — Chinese people aged 60 or above account for 18.7 percent of the total population, 5.44 percentage points higher than the level in 2010 when the previous census was conducted, according to the latest census data released on May 11. 

The total population of Chinese people on the mainland aged 60 or above has reached 264.02 million, including 190.64 million people aged 65 or above, or 13.5 percent of the total population, said the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), citing data from the seventh national census conducted last year.

"Data shows the aging of the Chinese population has further deepened, and we will continue to face the pressure to achieve long-term balanced population development," said Ning Jizhe, head of the NBS.

The census also found 63.35 percent of the country's population was aged 15-59, and the proportion of Chinese people aged 0-14 reaches 17.95 percent, 1.35 percentage points higher than the 2010 level.

China has conducted a national population census every ten years since the 1990s. The country's population on the mainland has reached 1.41178 billion, up 5.38 percent from the 2010 level, the latest census data showed.

The figure does not include Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan residents and foreigners who live in the mainland's 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities, according to the NBS.