China’s population drops for first time since 1961

Tags: International News

The biggest decline in the population of China has been recorded after the year 1961. Negative population growth has now started in China. The death toll in China is more than the number of children born.

An overview of the news

• According to the China’s National Bureau of Statistics China’s population declined by roughly 850,000 to 1.41175 billion at the end of 2022. 

• In China, 9.56 million people were born in 2022, while 10.41 million people died.

• China's birth rate last year was just 6.77 births per 1,000 people, down from 7.52 births in 2021, the lowest ever.

• The number of Chinese women of childbearing age, which the government defines as 25 to 35, has declined by nearly 4 million.

• This has caused domestic demographers to worry that China will grow old before it gets rich, slowing the economy as revenues decline and increasing government debt as health and welfare costs rise.

Impact of the One Child Policy

• The main reason for China's population decline is the one-child policy implemented between 1980 and 2015.

• Additionally, higher education in China is very expensive, which has prohibited many Chinese people from having more than one child.

• The fundamental reason why women do not want children is the failure of society and men to take responsibility for raising children.

• China's strict zero-covid policies that were in force for three years have further damaged the country's demographic outlook.

• Local governments have introduced measures to encourage people to have more children from 2021, including tax cuts, longer maternity leave and housing subsidies.