The remainder lived in small cities, towns, and villages in the surrounding counties. By 1997 the estimated population had grown to 12,590,000. The city has a low birth rate, a low death rate, and a very low rate of natural population increase. Most of Beijing's recent growth has been by immigration. They serve as construction workers, domestic servants, and in other low-level service activities.
Many transients live in crude shacks or other temporary shelters, or rent dormitory space.
Because of their transient status and low income level, they are often blamed for rising crime and social unrest. More than 90 percent of the population of Beijing are Han Chinese, and the remainder are Manchus, Mongols, Turkic peoples from western China, and other minority nationalities and foreigners. Mandarin Chinese is the language spoken in and around Beijing. The dialect of Beijing has become the standard form of Mandarin, which is the country's official spoken language. Like most other Chinese cities, Beijing has serious pollution problems.