China population: Henan shows scale of demographic challenge as deaths outnumber births for first time in 60 years
- In Henan, there were 8,000 more deaths than births last year, the province’s first population fall since 1961
- Four of nine Chinese provinces that have released data for 2022 have reported natural population declines
Deaths outnumbered births for the first time in more than 60 years in China’s third most populous province last year, echoing the country’s broader population decline and further underlining its deepening demographic challenges.
Four of nine provinces that have released statistics for last year have reported natural population declines.
In Henan, there were 8,000 more deaths than births, the province’s first population decline since 1961.
A massive outflow of workers contributed to the overall population decline of 110,000 people, though that was a smaller figure than the plunge of 580,000 people in 2021, according to official data.
“Affected by various factors such as the continuous decrease of women of childbearing age, changes in beliefs, delayed marriage and childbirth, population outflow and population ageing, the number of births [in Henan] continued to decrease in 2022, and the number of deaths have increased,” the province’s Bureau of Statistics said on Monday.