Beijing: China’s population Will start shrinking by 2025, officials have said, as family sizes continue to shrink and citizens get older.
The world’s most populous country is facing a crisis demographic crisis As it faces a rapidly aging workforce, a slowing economy and its most vulnerable population growth in decades.
And although the authorities relaxed the country’s strictness “one child policy“In 2016 and last year couples were allowed to have three children, the birth rate fell to a record low.
Referring to the period between 2021 and 2025, the National Health Commission said on Monday, “The growth rate of the total population has slowed significantly, and it will enter a phase of negative growth in the ’14th Five Year Plan’ period.”
In January, officials said the forecast expected the population to record zero growth “or even negative growth” over that five-year period.
“Currently, our country’s policy system for child birth support is not perfect, and there is a huge gap with population development and people’s expectations,” the NHC said in its latest report.
total fertility rate That has fallen below 1.3 in recent years, while the country is expected to enter a phase of severe aging around 2035, with more than 30 percent of the population over the age of 60.
Families are also becoming smaller, “weakening” the functions of pension and childcare, the health commission said, adding that housing, education and education are needed to improve child-rearing support and help reduce the burden on families. For policies on taxation.
Officials in some parts of China are already introducing family-friendly policies to deal with slow birth rates.
The eastern city of Hangzhou announced on Monday that families with three children will be able to borrow 20 percent more than the maximum limit when applying for a housing provident fund loan for the first time.
According to state media, other cities such as Nanchang and Changsha have also implemented supportive policies.
High cost of living and cultural changes as people get used to smaller families have been cited as reasons for the low number of infants.
With some exceptions made for rural households and ethnic minorities, the “one child policy” was introduced by top leader Deng Xiaoping in 1980 to curb population growth and promote economic development.
global population According to UN estimates, India is expected to reach eight billion in November 2022, surpassing China as the world’s most populous country in 2023.
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