Since 1949 , the economy and people's living conditions have improved significantly although at a gradual pace. The population has grown rapidly , mainly because of a lower death rate , from 2, 979 ,626 in 1950 to 6 , 208 , 944 in 1990 (see Table 2.D. The mean annual growth rate is 1. 85 per cent. The proportion of the West Sichuan population to
provincial population has risen from 5. 11 per cent in 1950 to 5.79 per cent in 1990. In general , the population , both in terms of the actual number and density , is greater in the south than in the north and similarly so in the east compared to the west. The population in the counties of Liangshan and Panzhihua , accordingly , exceeds 100 , 000; whereas in Ganzi and Aba it is less than 100 ,000 (see Table 2.2). Huili in Liangshan Prefecture the highest population (382 ,000) and Derong in Ganzi , the lowest (14,668).