China population: demographic window of opportunity ‘will shut soon’ as births drop, ageing crisis deepens
- Mothers in China gave birth to just 10.62 million babies last year, an 11.5 per cent drop from 2020, which contributed to an overall population increase of just 480,000
- Last year, China had 267.36 million aged over 60 representing 18.9 per cent of the population, up from 264.02 million a year earlier
A demographic crisis arising from China’s unprecedented low number of newborns is being compounded by an elderly population that is ageing faster than ever, and experts warn that this might be an irreversible trend that could result in older people being relied on to drive consumption and even fill the labour pool.
“The number of our newborns is declining. As a matter of fact, the proportion of children aged zero to 14 [in the total population] will continue to drop while the share of the elderly population will rise rapidly,” said Song Jian, a professor with the Population Development Studies Centre at Renmin University.
“China is still benefiting from the window of opportunity of its demographic dividends, but the window will shut soon,” added Song during a National Health Commission press conference on Thursday.
China therefore could soon lose its demographic dividend, which is characterised by economic development driven by a high proportion of the working-age population.