Ninety percent of civil servants in central government bodies have come from ordinary households in the past three years, Minister of Human Resources and Social Security Yin Weimin said on Tuesday.

"About 60 percent of civil servants come from workers' and farmers' households, and the figure reaches 90 percent when the families of teachers, doctors, engineers, private business owners and freelance workers are included," Yin said.

Yin said the methods used to examine and recruit civil servants are largely considered fair, although the popularity of the civil service exam has stirred some debate.