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China's demography. The population declined for the third year in a row. How many Chinese are there?

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1.39 million Chinese people died last year, according to new government data. The country's population has declined for the third year in a row and now stands at 1.4 billion.

New data was presented by China's National Bureau of Statistics on Friday. In 2024, for the third time in a row, the number of deaths exceeded the number of births – 10.93 million Chinese died and 9.54 million were born. This means that the country's population decreased by 1.39 million people and currently amounts to 1.408 billion.

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China's demography

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In the face of the demographic crisis, the Chinese authorities are trying to encourage young people to have children. The number of births last year increased compared to 2023 (then it was 9.02 million), but according to experts, this will not stop the negative trend of declining population, which has been going on for decades and is the result of, among others, the one-child policy from 1980-2015. Last year's increase is due to the increase in the number of marriages in 2023, and in their opinion, another decline in births should be expected in 2025.

More and more Chinese now live in cities, where the costs of raising children are much higher than in the countryside. The decision to start a family and have children is not favored by the uncertainty on the labor market, the slowing economy, or by the traditional expectation that women take care of the home, which often means giving up their professional careers.

The disclosed data increases concerns about the health of the world's second largest economy in a situation where the number of both workers and consumers is declining. The rising costs associated with an aging population will most likely constitute an additional burden on already indebted local governments. Currently 22 percent population, i.e. just over 310 million Chinese, are over 60 years old.

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Main photo source: Lushengyi / Shutterstock



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