The number of Communist Party of China members had reached 73.36 million by the end of June, an increase of 6.42 million over 2002, the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee said.

Since 2002, when the 16th National Congress of the CPC was held, the CPC has welcomed 13.16 million new members, according to statistics.

The CPC is to hold its 17th National Congress this month.

Statistics show nearly 4.2 million, or 31.9 percent of the new members, were women; 934,000, or 7.1 percent, were from ethnic minorities; 9.46 million, or 71.8 percent, were under 35 years of age, and nearly 6.5 million, or 49.3 percent, were grassroots people "working on the frontline" such as policemen, doctors or teachers, according to the department.

Up to 12.1 percent of the new members over the last five years had previously been recognized as model workers and 32.5 percent were college graduates.

By June 2007, the number of CPC members under the age of 35 reached 17.38 million, or 23.7 percent, and there were 38.84 million members, or 52.9 percent, between 36 and 59, statistics show.

About 134,000 people from the "new social stratum" applied for Party membership. Some were accepted, although the department did not give a specific figure, and 64,000 of them are likely to join the Party soon and are currently being assessed by the CPC, it said.

The "new social stratum" includes private entrepreneurs, technicians and managerial-level staff in private or foreign-funded companies, the self-employed and employees in intermediate organizations, the CPC said.

By June 2007, 3.18 million Party members were working in private companies. It is estimated that the "new social stratum" consists of 50 million professionals who possess or manage capital totaling 10 trillion yuan (US$1.3 trillion), according to the United Front Work Department of the CPC's Central Committee.

The UFWD said CPC members from the worker, farmer, intellectual, cadre and army sectors were the "basic components" and "mainstays" of the Party.

By June 2007, the Party had 7.96 million, or 10.8 percent, workers; 23.1 million, or 31 percent, farmers, herdsmen and fishermen; 21.3 million, or 29 percent, cadres, managerial staff and technical specialists; 1.6 million, or 2.2 percent, armymen and armed police; 1.95 million, or 2.6 percent, students; 13.77 million, or 18.8 percent, retired people, and 3.64 million, or 5 percent, "others," it said.