To get its citizens to have more children and stop its population from shrinking, China has tried it all, even declaring that having babies is an act of patriotism. Yet, for the third consecutive year, it observed a population drop. As per the National Statistics reports released earlier on Friday, January 17, 2025, China’s population stood at 1.408 billion in the year 2024, which is a decline of 1.39 million from the previous year.
This is to be noted that in 2023, the birth rate in China dropped to 6.39 births per 1,000 people, resulting in 9.02 million births. In 2022, the birth rate was 6.77 births per 1,000 people, with a total of 9.56 million births.
Even though more babies were born in the year, this significant population drop underscores a persistent long-term risk for the nation’s economy.
About 9.54 million babies were born in the year 2024, which is 520,000 more than the year before. Meanwhile, this slight uptick in births is a positive sign amidst the broader demographic challenges the country faces.
The reports have suggested that this significant surge in newborns in China could possibly be because the dragon year is deemed to be lucky in the Chinese zodiac by some parents. However, still the country stands with the second lowest number of births since the establishment of the People’s Republic of China post the Chinese Civil War in 1949.
What He Yafu Says on China’s Population
“Many couples who delayed childbearing during the three years of the COVID-19 pandemic chose to have babies in 2024. That is the main cause of the upstick,” said He Yafu, who is an independent demographer and focuses on population studies in China.
“But I estimate the number of newborns will drop in 2025,” he further stated.
China’s Struggle with Declining Population
Notably, this annual drop in population highlights the challenges the Chinese government has been facing in reversing the population decline rate. The possible reasons for this are indicated to be the decades of restrictive family planning policies, rising childcare costs, and changing social norms.
The number of newborns has been continuing to decline steadily in China since the 1960s, except for a brief upstick in 2016, following the relaxation of the one-child policy to allow two children per family.
What Bloomberg Intelligence Reports Estimated?
As per the Bloomberg Intelligence earlier report, it estimated that the nation’s population will drop to 1.36 billion by 2035, a level not seen since 2012. Though, it could be delayed if the couples are convinced to have more babies.
How Does China Combat Population Decline?
The Chinese government has also been implementing various measures to encourage higher birth rates. These include providing better support for families with multiple children, including housing, healthcare, and employment assistance. They have been promoting childbirth as a patriotic duty. The government has also introduced various incentives, such as cheaper housing, tax benefits, and cash rewards.
These approaches have been taken to encourage more births and address the demographic challenges the country has been facing over the past decades.
Kanishka Malhotra is a seasoned journalist with a deep passion for reporting and uncovering the truth. With a specialization in research and investigative Journalism, she has covered wide range of topics related to social issues, travel, lifestyle, technology, Entertainment and much more. She believes to express and share her creativity to the world through words. With relentless pursuit of knowing and uncovering the truth, Kanishka continues to leave a mark in the world of journalism.
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