LOS ANGELES, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- A report released Friday by the California Department of Finance put the state's population at 39.96 million, representing a growth rate of 0.35 percent, the lowest since 1900.
The report shows California added more than 180,000 people when accounting for births and deaths for the 12-month period ending July 1.
Since the April 2010 census, California's population has grown at an annualized rate of 0.76 percent.
Reasons for the recent decline in population growth include fewer births, increased deaths associated with an aging population, lower international migration, and higher domestic out-migration, according to the report.
California has witnessed an overall net migration loss of 39,500 residents for the year ending July 1, which marked the first time since the 2010 census that more people left California than moved in over the course of a year, the report says.
