- In 2021, China’s population grew very slowly again – the Beijing Bureau of Statistics put the total population at 1.41 billion people.
- According to official figures, the number of births fell drastically by 11.5 percent to 10.62 million.
- China’s birth rate fell to 7.52 newborns per 1,000 people, the lowest recorded in the country’s statistical yearbook since 1978.
The abolition of the one-child policy in the most populous country had only led to a slight increase in births in 2016. Since then, the number has continued to fall every year. On Monday, the statistical office named the corona pandemic as one of the reasons for the renewed decline in births.
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Experts have long pointed to the high cost of housing, education and healthcare, as well as the changing habits of women.
Reuters
Due to the relatively stable death rate, China is moving towards zero population growth, according to experts, despite declining births. Growth is expected to slow in a few years as society ages rapidly. Increasingly fewer employed people have to take care of more and more old people in the second largest economy.