Mainland China’s overall population continued to grow last year, rising to 1.412 billion from 1.4 billion a year earlier.

The country’s once-in-a-decade census shows annual growth averaged 0.53 percent, which is a deceleration from the previous decade.

Chinese leaders have enforced birth limits since 1980 to keep population growth under control.

But there are growing concerns that the working-age population is falling too fast, and disrupting efforts to create a prosperous economy.