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Chinese population is likely to stand at 1.5 billion and reach a zero growth by 2040, said a population expert on Thursday.

Li Honggui, vice president of the Demographic Society of China,called the zero growth "a critical point" and predicted the population to begin drop afterwards.

Last year, the Chinese population grew by 5.87 per thousand, adding 7 million new citizens to the world's most populous nation.

By 2040, the population aged above 65 in China will account forsome 12 percent of the national total, a hefty increase from the current 7.6 percent, said Li, warning against difficulty in finding sufficient work force for social and economic development.

As the Chinese population keeps declining after 2040, one in five Chinese people will be gray-haired in the most extreme circumstance and Chinese society is expected to provide better entertainment opportunities and social welfare services to the group, noted Li, a deputy to the National People's Congress, China's top legislature.

The advent of year 2040 will also greatly change the country's population policy. "Priority will be put on preventing population from dropping too quickly after 2040 and significant policy changes are likely to occur before then," Li told Xinhua Thursday in an exclusive interview while attending the on-going NPC annual full session in Beijing.

However, it is very unlikely for China to readjust its birth control policy on a short run as it is still a crucial measure to maintain a low birth rate presently, Li said, echoing the adherence to a "stable birth control policy", as indicated in Premier Wen Jiabao's government work report delivered to the session of the top legislature on March 5.

China adopted the currently family planning policy in practice in the late 1970s, permitting one couple to have only one kid, andwelcomed the 1.3 billionth citizen on January 6, 2005.