China’s population falls for first time in 60 years 

China’s population has fallen, hitting a record low – 6.77 births per 1,000 people. The new figure marks a fall in population for the first time in 60 years. 

The 2022 population – 1.4118 billion – fell by 850,000 from 2021.

China’s birth rate has been declining for years, promoting a series of policies to slow the trend. 

But seven years on from ditching the one-child policy, China is in an “era of negative population growth,” according to one official. 

The 2022 birth rate was down from 7.52 in 2021, according to China’s National Bureau of Statistics, which released the figures on Tuesday. 

Deaths have outnumbered births for the first time in 2021, with China recording its highest death rate since 1976 – 7.37 deaths per 1,000 people, up from 7.18 the previous year. 

China’s population growing at slowest pace

A 2021 census showed China’s population is growing at its slowest pace in decades. The data signalled a potential demographic crisis, which would, in the long run, shrink China’s workforce and increase the burden on healthcare and other social security costs. 

Other east Asian countries, like Japan and South Korea, are also recording a shrinking population. 

“This trend is going to continue and perhaps worsen after Covid,” says Yue Su, principal economist at the Economist Intelligence Unit. She is amongst experts who believe China’s population will continue to shrink throughout 2023. 

“The high youth unemployment rate and weaknesses in income expectations could delay marriage and childbirth plans further, dragging down the number of newborns,” she added.

The death rate in 2023 is likely to be higher than pre-pandemic levels due to Covid infections amid a massive rise in cases in the last month.