Thanks to its geographical advantages and China s reform and opening up policy, Guangxi's economy grew at a faster speed than the national average during 1991-1995. The decades after the founding of the People's Republic, especially the time post-1960, have witnessed a rapid increase in Guangxi's population with all types of education. In the years after 1982, the educational level of its population continued to rise. However, it is still low compared with the rest of the country, which can be seen from the low proportion of people with a higher education and the overall educational level of the population. The total population of Guangxi has grown rapidly over the past decades, increasing from 18.45 million in 1949 to 47.115 million in 1997.
Great differences exist in population distribution and density between urban and rural areas.
Ethnic minorities are concentrated in the west and northwestern hilly areas, while most Han people live in the northeastern and southeastern plain areas. Total population increased steadily. The birth rate of the urban population was 0.364 of a percentage point higher than that of their rural counterparts. This was a period in which Guangxi's total population grew at the fastest rate and for the longest time. Thanks to the implementation of the family planning program, the momentum of population growth was placed under control.