Births in Liaocheng in Shandong province, one of China’s most populous provinces, were only 64,753 in the first 11 months of 2018, a fall of 26 per cent. Photo: Alamy
China birth numbers expected to fall to lowest level since 2000, creating new economic and social challenges
- Births last year will drop below 15 million despite Beijing’s relaxation of its one-child policy, according to the state-run tabloid ‘Global Times’
- Increasing elderly population raising fears of economic stagnation despite introduction of two-child policy in 2016
