Non-equilibrium Analysis of Population Distribution in Northwest China from 2001 to 2016

Abstract

This paper uses the population density, population concentration index, population center of gravity and population distribution Gini coefficient to analyze the spatial-temporal characteristics and non-equilibrium of county population distribution in Northwest China from 2001 to 2016. The results show that between 2001 and 2016, the population of northwestern China continued to grow, but the distribution was extremely uneven. The population density of different counties was much different, and the number of counties with negative annual growth increased; the population concentration index decreased slightly. The population center of gravity is located in the southeast of the geometric center which moves slowly from southeast to northwest. The Gini coefficient of population distribution fluctuates around 0.77. Introduction The spatial distribution of population can reflect the state of social and economic development of a region [1]. Due to the influence of specific natural, economic and social environment, the spatial-temporal changes of population often show significant differences and non-equilibrium [2], population changes and spatial redistribution will also act on the sustainable development of regional economy [3]. The spatial distribution and evolution trend of population is the starting point of studying many phenomena and laws [4]. A reasonable population distribution will accelerate the sustained and stable economic development, while the unreasonable population distribution will hinder economic development [5]. Northwest China includes Gansu, Shaanxi, Qinghai, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It has jurisdiction over 360 county-level administrative units with a total land area of 3.1 million km2, accounting for 33.27% of the national land area. The population density of more than 70% of the county units is lower than the national average. Meanwhile, the population density of the suitable areas for human habitation is too high. Exceed the critical level of population density in arid and semi-arid areas designated by the United Nations. Therefore, it is significance to study the population quantity and its spatial distribution evolution in this region, explore the non-equilibrium degree of population distribution within the region, and further grasp the regularity of population spatial distribution, promote the rational distribution of population, optimize the allocation of resources, and realize the healthy development of economy. Data and Methods Data Sources This paper takes 2001-2016 as the research period, and the demographic data are from the statistical yearbook of corresponding years. Data of administrative division boundaries are derived from the National Basic Geographic Information Center in 2015. Research Method Population Concentration Index. The concentration index is often used to analyze the concentration of population distribution [6], the equation is as follows: International Conference on Advanced Education, Management and Humanities (AEMH 2019) Copyright © 2019, the Authors. Published by Atlantis Press. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 352