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Luna Sun

The number of primary and kindergarten pupils in China both plunged by millions in 2022 compared to a year earlier, highlighting the nation’s declining birth rate and prompting concerns about scores of teachers losing their jobs.
China recorded 46.3 million kindergarten and preschool enrolments last year, Liu Changya, a director at the Ministry of Education, said on Thursday.
That was 1.7 million fewer than the 48 million recorded in 2021, government data showed. At the same time, the number of kindergartens fell by 5,000 across the country.
The drastic drop in the number of preschoolers corresponds with a plunge in births.
7 takeaways from China’s 2022 population figures
Last year, Chinese mothers gave birth to 9.56 million babies – the nation’s lowest total in modern history and the first time the figure has dipped below 10 million.
China’s birth rate fell to a record low of 6.77 per 1,000 people, while the overall population fell by 850,000 to 1.4118 billion, as deaths outnumbered births for the first time in six decades.
Primary school enrolments also fell to 107 million last year, Liu said. That was 1 million short of 2021.
The sharp drop in enrolments has prompted concerns that some kindergarten teachers might lose their jobs. But other observers have pointed out that many parents are still struggling to put their children into affordable public kindergartens due to scarcity and intense competition.
Ma Jiabin, a director of basic education at the ministry, said resources for the sector were expanding.


“In 2022, there were 245,700 inclusive kindergartens nationwide, an increase of 1,033 compared to 2021,” he said, referring to the affordable non-profit kindergartens.
As China continues to urbanise and workers flow to the cities, the rural population will fall faster, leading to sharper drops in the number of children in the countryside.
For years, the country has set up teacher training programmes and sent college graduates to poor rural counties to plug a shortfall in primary and middle schoolteachers.
“Special efforts were made to alleviate the shortage of teacher resources in music, PE and art, and promote the balance of subject structure,” said Weng Bo, a director at the Ministry of Education.
Those teaching at difficult rural places are also subsidised by the government.


While early education numbers are falling, China’s middle and high schools recorded increasing numbers last year, adding pressure on educational resources, including qualified teachers.
The country’s broader population decline and deepening demographic challenges are being felt keenly by local governments.
Among the 21 provinces and municipalities that have disclosed demographic data for 2022, 13 reported more deaths than births.
A few places, including Beijing, Henan, Shandong, Gansu, and Anhui provinces saw their natural population decline for the first time.


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China recorded 46.3 million kindergarten and preschool enrolments last year, down 1.7 million from 2021, ministry says
Primary school enrolments also fell to 107 million last year, a decline of about one million from the year before


China recorded 46.3 million kindergarten and preschool enrolments last year, down 1.7 million from 2021, official data shows, highlighting the early consequences of a record low birth rate.
