China’s population shrank last year for the first time in six decades. At the end of December, the most populous country in the world had 1.411 billion inhabitants, about 850,000 less than a year earlier, the statistics bureau in Beijing reported on Tuesday.
The birth rate was only given as 6.77 newborns per 1000 people – this is the lowest in decades. The steadily declining number first fell into the single digits two years ago.
With 9.56 million births and 10.41 million deaths, the population fell for the first time last year, the statistics office reports. According to these figures, the last time the population shrunk was in 1960 and 1961 – due to the severe famines that followed the devastating industrialization campaign of the “Great Leap Forward”. By 2021, the population had increased by 450,000 people.
China has been struggling for some time with a sharp fall in the birth rate and an aging population. The effects of the one-child policy that has been pursued for decades are becoming increasingly noticeable. The abolition of controversial contraception in 2016 only briefly led to a slight increase in the number of births.
Experts see the high costs of housing, education and health care in China and the declining willingness to marry as the real reasons for the worrying development. The corona pandemic, which has been going on for three years, added further uncertainties that are likely to have accelerated the trend.
Maximum three children allowed
In response to the falling birth rate and the rapid aging of the population, three children were also admitted in 2021. Since then, the government has also been trying to make it easier for young couples to take care of children. The cost of education has been reduced. Financial support has been provided and maternity and parental leave has been made easier, as many women fear that motherhood will have a negative impact on their careers.
Due to the aging population, fewer and fewer working people in the second largest economy have to care for more and more elderly people. Every fifth Chinese is already over 60 years old. At the same time, the population group of statistically considered working age between 15 and 59 continues to shrink. (sda/dpa)
Over the whole of 2022, the second-largest economy grew by 3 percent, falling short of the government’s growth target of around 5.5 percent. World Bank economists had recently forecast growth of 2.7 percent for the full year.
The Chinese economy has been heavily burdened in the past year by the strict zero-corona policy and the associated lockdowns. On December 7, the leadership in Beijing made an abrupt turnaround and abolished most corona measures after more than three years. Since then, however, the virus has been spreading rapidly in the country, which is now also having a negative impact on economic activity. (sda/dpa)
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
