China's newborn population grew to 16.87 million in 2014, an increase from 15.92 million in 2010, Yang Wenzhuang, a health official, said at a press conference on Friday.

Yang, with National Health and Family Planning Commission, said the total fertility rate "rose a little" to 1.5 to 1.65 percent in 2014, with the increase prompted by a bigger population of women of the primary child-bearing age, as well as the country's relaxation of the "one-child" policy.

China's total population reached 1.368 billion by the end of 2014, according to Yang.