China sees lowest number of births amid concerns over population decline

In 2022, China had just 9.56 million births, as per the data published by the National Health Commission. The number of babies born last year was the lowest figure since records began in 1949.

The significant decline indicates the government’s inability to implement its schemes and policies to encourage parents to have more children. The government is trying to support parents with its schemes and amid increasing alarm that the country become demographically imbalanced.

The decline in population is the result of lack of interest among couples to have more number of children, mainly because high costs of childcare and education, growing unemployment and job insecurity.  All these factors have deterred young couples to have more than one child or even have children at all.

Lat year, the country’s population also fell for the first time in sixty years. Its population was recorded to be of 1.41 billion people. China also witnessed its lowest fertility rate in 2022. The declining population of the country has become a major cause of concern for domestic demographers who are lamenting that China will get old before it gets rich, slowing the economy as revenues drop and government debt increases due to soaring health and welfare costs.

One of the main reasons behind the shrink in China population was its one-child policy. The country had imposed the stringent policy between 1980 and 2015. However, the abandonment of the policy nearly a decade ago had some impact on the population. 

Nearly 40% of Chinese newborns last year were the second child of a married couple. Whereas, 15% were from families with three or more children, reported Reuters citing Chinese health authorities data.

To increas the country’s staggering population, China has been opting for a range of measures including childcare support, financial incentives, etc.

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Updated: 12 Oct 2023, 02:53 PM IST