China Faces Accelerating Population Decline

China’s population declined for the fourth consecutive year in 2025, as the country’s birth rate fell to its lowest level in nearly 80 years, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics in Beijing on Monday.

The figures show that only 7.92 million babies were born last year, resulting in a 17% drop in the birth rate to 5.63 births per 1,000 people — the lowest level since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949.

Taking both birth and death rates into account, China’s total population, once the largest in the world, has fallen to approximately 1.404 billion — about three million fewer than the previous year.

India surpassed China as the world’s most populous country in 2023 and now has an estimated population of around 1.464 billion.

If current trends continue, China’s population could decline to about 800 million by 2100, according to projections by the United Nations.

This downward trend has persisted despite numerous efforts by the Chinese government to encourage families to have more children. These measures were introduced about a decade after the end of the country’s strict one-child policy.

The government has implemented various incentives, including cash support of 3,600 yuan (approximately $500) per child, as well as tax breaks for kindergartens, daycare centers, and matchmaking services.

However, these initiatives have so far failed to reverse the decline. A 13% tax increase on condoms and other contraceptive products has also had little impact. China’s fertility rate is currently estimated at around one child per woman over her lifetime — well below the 2.1 births per woman needed to maintain a stable population.

Source : https://en.tempo.co/read/2081622/china-population-sinks-for-fourth-year-in-a-row