China's population decline accelerates amid falling births and rising deaths
China's Population Decline: A Third Year of Decrease Raises Concerns
China's population has decreased for the third year in a row, with more deaths than births, causing worries about the country's future demographics and economy. According to the Chinese National Bureau of Statistics, the population fell by 1.39 million to 1.408 billion in 2024, down from 1.409 billion in 2023. Although births rose slightly from 9.02 million in 2023 to 9.54 million in 2024, deaths also decreased from 11.1 million to 10.93 million. The birth rate increased to 6.77 births per 1,000 people, up from 6.39 per 1,000 the previous year.
The decline is largely due to the one-child policy, which was in place from 1980 to 2015, and its lasting impact on China's demographics. Despite the policy's end in 2016 and the allowance for up to three children by 2021, economic challenges like high living costs, stagnant wages, and youth unemployment have discouraged family growth. By the end of the century, the number of women of reproductive age is expected to drop by over two-thirds, while the population aged 60 and over is projected to grow significantly, reaching over 400 million by 2035.
Experts, including Yun Zhou from the University of Michigan, stress that without major reforms such as improved social safety nets and addressing gender inequality, reversing the population decline will be difficult. This trend poses a risk to China's economy, as a shrinking workforce and consumer base could hinder economic growth.
Doubts Revealed
Population Decline
Population decline means that the number of people living in a place is getting smaller over time. In this case, China's population is decreasing because more people are dying than being born.
Demographic
Demographic refers to the structure of a population, including age, gender, and other characteristics. It helps understand how many young or old people there are in a country.
One-child policy
The one-child policy was a rule in China that allowed families to have only one child. It was introduced to control the population size but has led to fewer young people now.
Economic factors
Economic factors are things related to money and jobs that affect how people live. In China, these factors might include the cost of raising children or job opportunities, influencing how many children families decide to have.
Shrinking workforce
A shrinking workforce means there are fewer people available to work. This can happen when there are not enough young people to replace older workers who retire.
Consumer base
A consumer base is the group of people who buy goods and services. If the population decreases, there are fewer people to buy things, which can affect the economy.
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