China’s population has continued its downward trend for the third consecutive year, as the country faces a significant decline in its birth rate.
On Friday, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) revealed that China’s population has decreased by 1.39 million over the past year, now totaling 1.408 billion.
The decline marks a continued trend as deaths outpace births, exacerbating the country's demographic challenges.
As per the report, China has faced a steadily declining population since the 1980s.
Notably, the year 2022 marked the first time when the death rate surpassed the births since 1961 when China was in the midst of the disastrous Great Leap Forward plan.
The plan led to a famine in which an estimated 20 million people died of starvation.
In a report, it is stated, “We must be aware that the adverse effects brought by the external environment are increasing, the domestic demands are insufficient, some enterprises have difficulties in production and operation, and the economy is still facing difficulties and challenges.”
To overcome the ongoing crisis, China has opted for a variety of rewards and punishment tactics to raise the birthrate.
The authorities also ended its “one-child policy” in 2016 that for decades to control the country’s growth.
To note, marriages increased 12.4 percent year-on-year in 2023 after the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.
