The population in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, especially the Uygur population, has maintained stable growth, according to the National Bureau of Statistics on Friday.

Data from the seventh national census conducted in 2020 showed that the population of Xinjiang reached 25.85 million, with its growth rate ranking fourth nationwide in the ten-year period since the sixth national census, said the bureau.

The Uygur population in Xinjiang has increased from over 8.34 million in 2000 to over 11.62 million in 2020. The growth rate was much higher than that of the country's total ethnic minority population, which stood at 0.83 percent.

According to data from the seventh national census, 8,944 per 100,000 Uygurs had received a university education, an increase of 6,540 people compared to 2000, and the average years in education for those aged 15 and above also grew from 7.06 years in 2000 to 9.19 years in 2020.