Asia

China’s population falls for third consecutive year despite slight increase in births

China's population falls for third consecutive year despite slight increase in births

MADRID Jan. 17 (EUROPA PRESS) –

China’s population has fallen again for the third consecutive year during 2024 despite the slight increase in births over the same period, which has raised alarm bells due to the risks this poses to the Asian country’s economy.

Thus, the number of inhabitants has fallen by almost 1.4 million to 1.4 billion, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics of China. However, 9.5 million births have been registered, 520,000 more than the previous year, an increase attributed to the popular belief that being born in the Year of the Dragon brings luck to children.

However, this is the second lowest number of births since the founding of the country in 1949. Currently, the country has an average of 1.18 children per woman, as indicated by World Bank data.

Experts, who attribute this increase in birth rates to a rebound after the coronavirus pandemic, predict that the numbers will decrease again throughout this year. Population declines are also the result of decades of restrictive family planning policies, which have led to a decline in births since the 1960s.

This demographic decline could pose an economic challenge by translating into a decline in the workforce and, therefore, economic growth. Added to this is an older population, which will increase pressure on the pension system.

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