China population: 2022 marks first decline in 60 years
- Mainland China’s overall population fell to 1.4118 billion last year, as the growth rate hit negative 0.6 per thousand people
- Official results show how China’s demographic crisis continues to deepen, while illustrating how widespread shifts to pronatalist policies are not producing the desired results
03:18
China reports first population decline in 6 decades, with birth rate at record low in 2022
China’s population has declined for the first time in six decades, with the national birth rate for 2022 falling to a record low and the nation’s deepening demographic crisis threatening far-reaching implications for economic growth.
Mothers in China had 9.56 million babies last year, a 9.98 per cent drop from 10.62 million in 2021.
The national birth rate fell to a record low of 6.77 births for every 1,000 people in 2022, down from 7.52 in 2021, marking the lowest rate since records began in 1949.
The national death rate was 7.37 per thousand last year, putting the national growth rate at negative 0.6 per thousand people.
China’s population includes 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, as well as servicemen, but excludes foreigners. It does not include Hong Kong, Macau or Taiwan.
“China’s population declined the first time since 1961,” noted Zhang Zhiwei, chief economist at Pinpoint Asset Management. “The population will likely trend down from here in the coming years. This is very important, with implications for potential growth and domestic demand.”
High child-rearing costs, the new generation’s shifting ideologies on family and marriages, as well as the slowing economic growth amid China’s draconian coronavirus policies, were all blamed for catalysing the population decline.