BEIJING (AFP) -- The population of China's capital Beijing grew last year by more than 600,000 to nearly 17 million people, state media reported on Monday. At the end of 2008, the city had 16.95 million people, an increase of 620,000 from a year earlier, the Xinhua news agency said, citing the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Statistics.

One in four residents in Beijing was a migrant worker, the agency said, reflecting the huge allure of China's big cities for people hoping to escape poverty in the countryside.
The influx of migrant workers has been a major factor in boosting Beijing's population from just 15.4 million in 2004.
City authorities are facing major challenges created by the fast-growing population, such as how to sustain access to vital resources such as water.
Beijing has suffered droughts every year since 1999, according to earlier reports in the state media.