The National Bureau of Statistics said it will conduct a nationwide sample survey next month to help officials better plan population policies.

The bureau said the survey will help to accurately monitor China's population changes in a timely manner, and provide a basis for the government to formulate national economic, social development and population-related policies.

The survey will take place between November 1 and 30.

Beijing last conducted its once-in-a-decade census in November 2020, which showed the country’s population expanding at the slowest pace since the first survey in the 1950s.

Last year, the mainland reported a drop of roughly 850,000 people for a population of around 1.4 billion, marking the first decline since 1961.