China Faces 'Demographic Crisis' As Population Falls For The First Time In 60 Years

China's population has fallen for the first time in more than 60 years - a turn that is expected to be the start of a long period of decline, despite major efforts from the government to try and encourage more births.

- Sravasti Dasgupta

The country had 1.41175 billion people at the end of 2022, compared with 1.41260 billion a year earlier, the National Bureau of Statistics said. That means a fall of 850,000 people, the first since 1961. In the long term, UN experts see China's population shrinking by 109 million by 2050, more than triple the decline of their previous forecast in 2019. This will mean a shrinking labour force and a greater burden on healthcare and other social security costs.

The national birth rate also hit a record low, 6.77 births per 1,000 people, down from 7.52 in 2021. For comparison, the birth rate in the UK was 10.08 in 2021 and in the US, 11.06. The birth rate in India, which is poised to overtake China as the world's most populous nation was 16.42. The death rate across China last year increased from 7.18 per 1,000 people to 7.37, the highest figure since 1976. The impact of Covid-19 may also see that figure increase again in the coming year.