China’s Birth Rate Falls to Four-Decade Low

 

Wang Xintong

November 23rd

China has reported its lowest birth rate since 1978: 8.52 births per 1,000 people in 2020, and these figures are dangerously close to the death rate.

According to the 2021 Yearbook, released by the country's National Statistics Office over the weekend, the death rate last year was 7.07 per 1,000 people. That means the population's natural growth rate is at a record low of 1.45 compared to 3.32 in 2019. The birth rate has been in steady decline since 2016 after decades of family planning policies and a changing economic climate.

According to census data released by China in the spring, 12 million babies were born in 2020, the lowest number since 1961. With people aged 60 and over accounting for 18.8% of the 1.4 billion people, China faces a major problem of population aging.

Chinese authorities admit that an increasing number of Chinese from all ethnic groups choose to marry late and have smaller families for economic and educational reasons.

The number of marriage registrations also fell this year to 814.3 per 10,000 couples.

"The next ten years will be a major turning point for my country's population to enter negative growth," warned He Dan, director of the China Population Research and Development Center, in an article published earlier this year. 

Source: https://trikooba.com/china-registra-su-tasa-de-natalidad-mas-baja-en-decadas/