China’s population fell for the first time in more than six decades last year, according to government data released Tuesday, as the world’s most populous country faces a demographic crisis.
The 1.4 billion-person country has witnessed birth rates fall to record lows as its workforce ages, a rapid trend that analysts say might hinder economic growth and put additional burden on already-strained public resources.
According to Beijing’s National Bureau of Statistics, the mainland Chinese population was roughly 1,411,750,000 by the end of 2022, a decline of 850,000 from the previous year’s end.
The number of births was 9.56 million, the NBS said, while the number of deaths stood at 10.41 million.
The last time China’s population declined was in the early 1960s, as the country battled the worst famine in its modern history, a result of the disastrous Mao Zedong agricultural policy known as the Great Leap Forward.
China Begins Export Of Used Cars To Nigeria, Others
China ended its strict one-child policy – imposed in the 1980s owing to fears of overpopulation – in 2016 and began allowing couples to have three children in 2021.
But that has failed to reverse the demographic decline for a country that has long relied on its vast workforce as a driver of economic growth.
“The population will likely trend down from here in coming years,” Zhiwei Zhang of Pinpoint Asset Management said.
“China cannot rely on the demographic dividend as a structural driver for economic growth.”
“Economic growth will have to depend more on productivity growth, which is driven by government policies,” he added
AFP
Follow us on Facebook
Post Disclaimer
The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author and forum participants on this website do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of Anaedo Online or official policies of the Anaedo Online.