https://www.scmp.com/rss/321405/feed China's top decision-making body announced in late October that it would relax the one-child policy, a controversial birth control measure Beijing introduced officially in the early 1980s to curb population growth. But demographers say the easing in the rules will not do much to rebalance China's ageing population. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Wei-Jun Jean Yeung,Paul Yip Wei-Jun Jean Yeung,Paul Yip Across East Asia, societies are becoming richer, healthier and more educated, yet fewer people feel able or willing to have families and raise children. Low fertility plagues high-income societies, particularly in East Asia, where the total fertility rate (TFR) has fallen below one birth per woman, well under the replacement level of 2.1 births. While many countries have dedicated considerable resources and effort to reversing this trend, the results have been somewhat disappointing. The pairing... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3354977/east-asias-population-challenge-isnt-just-about-raising-birth-rates?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3354977/east-asias-population-challenge-isnt-just-about-raising-birth-rates?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 31 May 2026 01:30:06 +0000 Xinyi Wu Xinyi Wu Shenzhen recorded the largest increase in permanent residents among Chinese cities in 2025, a rare bright spot as some megacities lose their appeal amid a deepening demographic shift. The southern tech hub added 259,000 permanent residents last year, bringing its total population to 18.25 million, according to a notice released by the local government on Monday. Designated as China’s first special economic zone in 1980, Shenzhen has since evolved into one of the country’s most powerful... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3354884/how-shenzhens-growing-population-defies-chinas-urban-demographic-shift?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3354884/how-shenzhens-growing-population-defies-chinas-urban-demographic-shift?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 May 2026 09:00:06 +0000 SCMP Plus SCMP Plus This report was translated from Chinese into English using Alibaba’s Qwen3, then checked and tweaked for accuracy by a South China Morning Post journalist. It is for reference only, and is not the official English version of the original Chinese document. Alibaba owns the SCMP. https://www.scmp.com/plus/economy/china-economy/article/3354850/china-expands-migrant-workers-access-public-services?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/economy/china-economy/article/3354850/china-expands-migrant-workers-access-public-services?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 May 2026 04:37:01 +0000 Emma Ma,Mandy Zuo Emma Ma,Mandy Zuo For the first time in records dating back to 1949, China is now home to more people aged 65 and above than children, the latest official data showed, underscoring the country’s deepening demographic pressure. By November last year, 15.87 per cent of China’s roughly 1.4 billion-strong population was aged at least 65, compared with 15.25 per cent aged between 0 to 14, according to the results of a nationwide sample survey released late last week. That meant China’s traditional family-based model... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3354772/china-now-home-more-people-over-65-children-official-survey-finds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3354772/china-now-home-more-people-over-65-children-official-survey-finds?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 May 2026 23:00:04 +0000 Carol Yang Carol Yang China has launched a national campaign to certify cities and workplaces as “birth-friendly” to help arrest a historic demographic decline, as a top policy adviser called for even more substantial shifts, including decoupling childbirth from marriage. In documents released on Thursday, the National Health Commission urged city governments to reduce the financial burdens of childbirth, child-rearing and education on families, and called on employers to support their employees in balancing work and... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3353701/amid-falling-fertility-rate-china-certify-birth-friendly-cities-and-workplaces?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3353701/amid-falling-fertility-rate-china-certify-birth-friendly-cities-and-workplaces?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 May 2026 08:57:14 +0000 Sylvia Ma Sylvia Ma China’s first-quarter marriage registrations fell to their lowest level for the same period since 2020, as the country continued to grapple with persistent demographic challenges amid a declining birth rate and a shrinking population. In the first three months of this year, 1.697 million couples in China tied the knot, down 6.24 per cent from the same period last year, according to data released by the Ministry of Civil Affairs on Saturday. The figure marked the lowest first-quarter total since... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3353108/chinas-marriage-numbers-plunge-covid-era-low-population-woes-deepen?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3353108/chinas-marriage-numbers-plunge-covid-era-low-population-woes-deepen?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 May 2026 06:01:39 +0000 Carol Yang Carol Yang Online content writer Phoebe Zhao is packing her bags to leave Beijing after two years in the Chinese capital. But the 26-year-old is not heading back to her hometown in northeastern China’s Heilongjiang province. She is opting instead to pursue postgraduate study in Shanghai, hoping it will serve as a springboard to career opportunities in the surrounding Yangtze River Delta. People born in northern China in the 1980s and ’90s used to consider Beijing the best place to build a career. But for... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352898/why-gen-z-abandoning-beijing-greener-fields-elsewhere-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352898/why-gen-z-abandoning-beijing-greener-fields-elsewhere-china?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 09 May 2026 08:00:10 +0000 Ji Siqi Ji Siqi Four years after Shanghai’s harsh citywide lockdown, there are signs the city’s expatriate population – which thinned significantly during the pandemic – is starting to rebound, though with a notably different demographic profile. The sound of English, Korean and French is once again often heard drifting through the plane-tree-lined streets of Shanghai’s former French Concession – widely seen as the heart of the city’s international community. And local residents point to a gradual, though... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352494/4-years-after-lockdown-shanghais-expat-community-recovering-and-changing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352494/4-years-after-lockdown-shanghais-expat-community-recovering-and-changing?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 May 2026 10:00:16 +0000 Xinlu Liang Xinlu Liang A top US medical anthropologist believes the United States and China must transcend geopolitical tensions and spur a global revolution in “social technology” to survive the looming ageing crisis. Arthur Kleinman, a physician-anthropologist with joint appointments at Harvard University and Harvard Medical School, proposed that the US learn from China’s recent efforts to build a long-term care insurance system, while in return China can take lessons from the US nursing home model. “We have never... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3352222/ageing-dilemma-why-robots-cant-save-us-china-us-cooperation-might?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3352222/ageing-dilemma-why-robots-cant-save-us-china-us-cooperation-might?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 May 2026 12:00:09 +0000 Terry Lum Terry Lum Hong Kong is increasingly being urged to develop a comprehensive population policy. Academics, policymakers and business leaders warn that rapid ageing, low fertility and a shrinking labour force threaten the city’s competitiveness, and call for more decisive government intervention. Most such calls converge around two familiar strategies: encouraging Hong Kong women to have more children and attracting more immigrants. Both approaches assume Hong Kong must resolve its demographic challenges... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3351750/hong-kongs-population-policy-still-trapped-city-state-mindset?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3351750/hong-kongs-population-policy-still-trapped-city-state-mindset?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 May 2026 21:30:08 +0000 Sylvia Ma Sylvia Ma Bai Chongen is a prominent Chinese economist and government adviser. He is the dean of Tsinghua University’s School of Economics and Management and serves concurrently as vice-chairman of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce. From 2015 to 2018, he was a member of the Chinese central bank’s monetary policy committee. Here, he discusses how China can avoid “Japanification”, what Beijing can do to help cultivate the next Elon Musk, and why the “China shock 2.0” phenomenon is often... https://www.scmp.com/plus/economy/china-economy/article/3351947/how-china-can-avoid-repeat-japans-lost-decades-eyes-top-economist?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/economy/china-economy/article/3351947/how-china-can-avoid-repeat-japans-lost-decades-eyes-top-economist?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Apr 2026 05:15:08 +0000 Ralph Jennings Ralph Jennings China’s population is projected to fall by about 60 million over the next decade, threatening economic activity in wealthier coastal provinces and putting growing pressure on the public pension system, according to recent analyst reports. Research firm Rhodium Group estimated that the world’s second-most populous country, after India, could lose the equivalent of nearly France’s entire population over the coming 10 years. In a nation of 1.41 billion people, a decline of this scale would weigh on... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3351597/china-faces-france-sized-demographic-loss-threatens-coastal-growth-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3351597/china-faces-france-sized-demographic-loss-threatens-coastal-growth-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Apr 2026 00:00:15 +0000 Xinyi Wu Xinyi Wu Despite China’s stronger-than-expected first-quarter economic growth, young jobseekers found little respite as March brought a rise in youth unemployment across urban areas, snapping six straight months of decline. The jobless rate for the 16-to-24 age group, excluding students, edged up to 16.9 per cent in March from 16.1 per cent in February, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Tuesday. The job market, weighed down by deflationary pressures and external... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3350813/chinas-youth-unemployment-crunch-deepens-record-graduation-season-looms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3350813/chinas-youth-unemployment-crunch-deepens-record-graduation-season-looms?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Apr 2026 03:53:36 +0000 Mia Nurmamat Mia Nurmamat Qiu has been scouring Shanghai’s labour agencies for a job for her 58-year-old father – a former mechanic from neighbouring Jiangsu province caught in a frustrating limbo. While he is still years away from the official retirement age for rural migrants, his struggle to find work underscores a paradox in China’s financial hub: even as the city desperately needs more workers to counter a shrinking population, ageing jobseekers are being met with high fees and physical exhaustion. His search... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3350484/more-jobs-elderly-shanghai-eyes-senior-labour-force-amid-china-demographic-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3350484/more-jobs-elderly-shanghai-eyes-senior-labour-force-amid-china-demographic-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Apr 2026 08:00:13 +0000 Frank Chen Frank Chen President Xi Jinping has signalled a renewed focus on China’s services sector, calling for a demand- and tech-led strategy to reshape growth and create jobs, as policymakers met to chart the path forward. “The focus must be on demand-driven development and reforms as well as empowerment by technologies,” Xi said in a message to a two-day conference on the sector that concluded on Wednesday, according to state-run news agency Xinhua. Highlighting the role of services in tackling some of China’s... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3349415/xi-jinping-backs-services-sector-power-chinas-next-growth-phase?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3349415/xi-jinping-backs-services-sector-power-chinas-next-growth-phase?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Apr 2026 13:30:08 +0000 Emma Zang Emma Zang China is betting artificial intelligence will solve its labour shortage, as policymakers ramp up a nationwide push to deploy AI and robotics across the economy. But it may be worsening a different problem: the erosion of stable jobs for young workers. China’s push has accelerated investment in industrial automation, installing more than half of the world’s robots in 2024 alone and doubling down on AI-enabled production. The strategy is presented as a necessary response to the demographic... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3347386/why-chinas-ai-automation-push-risky-social-experiment?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3347386/why-chinas-ai-automation-push-risky-social-experiment?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Mar 2026 12:30:10 +0000 Xinyi Wu Xinyi Wu China’s urban youth unemployment rate fell in February for the sixth consecutive month, though the marginal improvement provides little reprieve for jobseekers in a challenging post-holiday labour market. The jobless rate for the 16-to-24 age group, excluding students, edged down to 16.1 per cent in February from 16.3 per cent in January, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Thursday. The figure has been gradually declining since August, when a record 12.2 million... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3346838/chinas-youth-unemployment-falls-sixth-consecutive-month-february?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3346838/chinas-youth-unemployment-falls-sixth-consecutive-month-february?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Mar 2026 07:57:31 +0000 Yeon Woo Lee Yeon Woo Lee Declining fertility rates have long been viewed as a drag on economic growth, but the outlook may not be entirely bleak for Asian economies such as China, South Korea and Japan, analysts said. Demographic pressure was accelerating investment in robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) in these rapidly ageing yet technologically advanced countries, helping offset labour shortages and sustain productivity even as populations shrank, they argued. Analysts at Bank of America (BofA) Global Research... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3346475/chinas-ai-adoption-may-limit-economic-fallout-its-rapidly-ageing-population-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3346475/chinas-ai-adoption-may-limit-economic-fallout-its-rapidly-ageing-population-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Mar 2026 06:58:35 +0000 Xinyi Wu Xinyi Wu Some Chinese lawmakers and advisers are pushing to secure higher pensions for elderly farmers, underscoring the persistent income disparity between the country’s urban and rural residents. The latest government work report, approved on Thursday, confirmed a 20-yuan (US$2.91) monthly increase to basic pension payments for a third consecutive year, bringing the national minimum to 163 yuan. However, some deputies from China’s top legislature contend that this level is inadequate. “A pension of... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3346368/chinas-rural-pensions-focus-lawmakers-fight-farmers-fair-share-amid-income-gap?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3346368/chinas-rural-pensions-focus-lawmakers-fight-farmers-fair-share-amid-income-gap?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Mar 2026 00:00:11 +0000 Yeon Woo Lee Yeon Woo Lee China and South Korea have had a turbulent relationship over the past few years as they compete across a range of hi-tech industries. But the two countries now appear to be bonding over a shared challenge: their rapidly ageing societies. The issue has featured on the agenda of several meetings between President Xi Jinping and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in recent months, with the leaders pledging to work together to deal with the economic changes being wrought by their nations’ low... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3343740/china-and-south-korea-find-new-shared-bond-their-rapidly-ageing-societies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3343740/china-and-south-korea-find-new-shared-bond-their-rapidly-ageing-societies?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Feb 2026 06:00:10 +0000 Luna Sun Luna Sun China’s marriage registrations edged up in 2025, offering a glimmer of hope for the birth outlook this year, but analysts caution that deeper demographic headwinds remain entrenched and difficult to reverse without broader policy support. China recorded 6.76 million marriage registrations nationwide in 2025, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs, marking a 10.8 per cent increase from a year earlier, or 657,000 more couples. The number of marriage registrations is closely watched in China,... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3343330/chinas-marriage-rebound-will-more-2025-knots-bring-more-baby-bumps-2026?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3343330/chinas-marriage-rebound-will-more-2025-knots-bring-more-baby-bumps-2026?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Feb 2026 01:00:08 +0000 Winston Mok Winston Mok As the Year of the Snake ends, more than 9 billion passenger journeys will unfold during China’s Spring Festival travel period, the greatest annual human migration on Earth. For some, these are the only few weeks in the year when families are together. For many, this is a period when they can find temporary relief from loneliness – from the striving and adjusting, even if not yet assimilating, in the cities where they work, far from their hometowns. The lucky ones, who can make ends meet and are... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3342802/loneliness-crisis-price-china-paying-rapid-modernisation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3342802/loneliness-crisis-price-china-paying-rapid-modernisation?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Feb 2026 10:01:15 +0000 Mike Rowse Mike Rowse We live in an interesting time. It has become clear that many Hong Kong couples would rather have a pet than a child. Small families are now the norm: a 2022 survey by the Family Planning Association showed that childless families made up 43.2 per cent of the population, followed by one-child families at 27.4 per cent and two-child families at 25.2 per cent. Anyone still in doubt would have done well to attend the recent Hong Kong Pet Show, which attracted around 370,000 visitors over the four... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3342563/so-what-if-some-countries-have-fewer-babies-and-shrinking-populations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3342563/so-what-if-some-countries-have-fewer-babies-and-shrinking-populations?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Feb 2026 21:30:15 +0000 Luna Sun Luna Sun Defying a tight domestic job market, a record wave of overseas graduates is flooding back to China, eager to snatch up opportunities in its fast-growing tech and advanced manufacturing sectors. The influx, up 12 per cent in 2025 to an eight-year high, signals “determined confidence” among globally trained talent, according to findings by job-recruitment platform Zhaopin. And the robustness of this homecoming trend, at 2.25 times the 2018 level, points to a “sustained trend” in domestic... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3342123/more-overseas-chinese-grads-return-brain-gain-powers-future-home-grown-frontiers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3342123/more-overseas-chinese-grads-return-brain-gain-powers-future-home-grown-frontiers?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Feb 2026 15:00:15 +0000 Zhu Wenqian Zhu Wenqian China’s largest private education company in terms of market value has begun offering leisure courses such as dance and photography for older adults in Beijing, as it pivots towards the country’s fast-growing silver economy. Beijing-based New Oriental Education & Technology Group – which is dual listed in New York and Hong Kong – built its reputation by helping millions of Chinese students prepare for overseas English-language tests such as the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3342108/silver-bullet-new-oriental-pivots-late-age-learners-china-ages?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3342108/silver-bullet-new-oriental-pivots-late-age-learners-china-ages?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Feb 2026 09:31:54 +0000 Josephine Ma Josephine Ma Lawrence J. Lau is a Hong Kong economist specialising in economic development and East Asian economies. He was an economics professor at Stanford University in the United States before becoming vice-chancellor and president of the Chinese University of Hong Kong until 2010. Lau has held the Ralph and Claire Landau Professor of Economics chair at the university since 2007. For other interviews in the series, click here. SCMP Plus readers get early access to articles in the Open Questions series.... https://www.scmp.com/plus/economy/china-economy/article/3341714/china-needs-more-education-higher-wages-advance-lawrence-lau-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/economy/china-economy/article/3341714/china-needs-more-education-higher-wages-advance-lawrence-lau-says?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Jan 2026 02:00:15 +0000 Letters Letters Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words Recently released data shows that fewer than 8 million babies were born in China in 2025. While this figure has alarmed many observers, I am convinced that a shrinking population – especially fewer newborns – is not necessarily a negative outcome for China’s long-term social and... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3341240/fewer-newborns-china-may-point-more-humane-future?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3341240/fewer-newborns-china-may-point-more-humane-future?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Jan 2026 03:30:07 +0000 Luna Sun Luna Sun As the number of people living alone in China skyrockets, a wave of products and services is emerging to address the safety, social and mental health needs of the country’s solo-living population, analysts said. The issue was thrust into the public spotlight earlier this month, when a check-in app called Are You Dead? – or Sileme in Chinese – briefly surged to the top of paid app charts in mainland China and several other markets, revealing the scale of China’s vast and rapidly expanding solo... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3341009/solo-dining-safety-apps-chinas-loneliness-economy-booming?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3341009/solo-dining-safety-apps-chinas-loneliness-economy-booming?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Jan 2026 03:00:13 +0000 Paul Yip Paul Yip Mainland China’s and Hong Kong’s birth rates fell to record lows last year, despite extensive government incentives to encourage larger families. In Hong Kong, registered births fell 14 per cent to a historic low of 31,714 in 2025. Notably, the increase in births in 2024 may have been due to the auspicious Year of the Dragon. It is believed that babies born in the dragon year will grow up to be smart and successful. This is likely to have affected the timing of births as seen in Hong Kong during... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3341016/hong-kong-must-tackle-challenges-super-aged-society-head?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3341016/hong-kong-must-tackle-challenges-super-aged-society-head?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Jan 2026 01:30:08 +0000 Raymond Ma,Neil Denslow Raymond Ma,Neil Denslow China will probably lower its economic growth target this year, the Post reported, as domestic challenges weigh on the nation’s two-speed economy (see SCMP Plus factsheet). Policymakers may set a target range of 4.5 per cent to 5 per cent, the Post said, citing three unidentified people briefed on the matter. That compares with a goal of “about 5 per cent” in each of the last three years. The potential cut reflects a focus on “high-quality” development and a shift away from assessing local... https://www.scmp.com/plus/economy/china-economy/article/3340975/china-may-cut-gdp-goal-trump-davos-starmer-visit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/economy/china-economy/article/3340975/china-may-cut-gdp-goal-trump-davos-starmer-visit?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 Jan 2026 09:00:29 +0000 Phoebe Zhang Phoebe Zhang For 11 years after graduating from high school, a 28-year-old woman from a village in Lushan county in the central Chinese province of Henan had fought against pressure from her parents to get married. By her own account, the woman, locally reported as Wei and a history teacher at Lushan’s top high school, had quarrelled, “gone crazy” and even made threats with a knife. Her fight ended on December 10, when she wrote her last post on WeChat and jumped from the seventh floor of what was to be her... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3340590/china-pressure-women-marry-deadly-serious?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3340590/china-pressure-women-marry-deadly-serious?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Jan 2026 01:30:09 +0000 Luna Sun Luna Sun China’s birth count plummeted to a record low last year, falling by about 10 million from its 2016 peak and slashing the total by more than half in less than a decade, as the country’s population shrank for a fourth consecutive year. Only 7.92 million babies were born in 2025, down 17 per cent from 9.54 million in 2024, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Monday. This marked the lowest birth figure since records began in 1949 and broke the previous record low set... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3340398/chinas-demographic-alarms-blare-births-hit-historic-low-and-population-shrinks-again?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3340398/chinas-demographic-alarms-blare-births-hit-historic-low-and-population-shrinks-again?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Jan 2026 07:09:40 +0000 David Dodwell David Dodwell More than 2,300 years ago, Aristotle mused in Politics that to live alone, a man must be a god or a beast, or words to that effect. I wonder what he would have thought of the popularity of China’s “Are You Dead?” app. For Aristotle, we are social animals, thriving in the “polis” in the company of family, friends and fellow citizens. The average mother had at least five children. Many homes housed three, even four, generations. Family life was noisy and crowded, full of companionship, contest and... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3340039/families-shrink-our-primary-relationship-increasingly-ourselves?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3340039/families-shrink-our-primary-relationship-increasingly-ourselves?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Jan 2026 12:30:09 +0000 Lijia Zhang Lijia Zhang “Rural heating problems in Hebei cannot wait any longer” declared a recent report in Farmers’ Daily. It described a disturbing reality in parts of northern China: elderly villagers who would rather shiver through freezing temperatures than turn on their heaters, because they simply cannot afford the cost. For many urban readers, this may sound implausible. For millions of rural elderly, it is routine. On the surface, the problem appears to be a side effect of China’s well-intentioned... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3339618/without-pension-reform-china-leaving-its-rural-elderly-out-cold?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3339618/without-pension-reform-china-leaving-its-rural-elderly-out-cold?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Jan 2026 01:30:09 +0000 Wang Xiangwei Wang Xiangwei As 2026 dawns, China has signalled a renewed crusade: persuading its citizens to spend more, for their own benefit and for the country’s. Yet history offers a cautionary tale. China’s leaders have long harboured an ambivalent relationship with consumption as a growth engine, instead favouring production and investment. This time, though, the signals suggest a deeper resolve. The gravity of this pivot is underscored by Qiushi, the Communist Party’s flagship publication, which last month published... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3338496/why-china-still-struggling-invest-people?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3338496/why-china-still-struggling-invest-people?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 Jan 2026 21:30:09 +0000 Luna Sun Luna Sun China has taken a step towards regulating the childcare industry at the national level, drafting legislation to standardise services and lower costs as policymakers fight to reverse a demographic decline that could have long-term economic ramifications. The draft Childcare Services Law was submitted on Monday to the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress for review, according to Xinhua. The bill, comprising eight chapters and 76 articles, aims to establish a national legal... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3337317/china-eyes-childcare-overhaul-law-boost-births-fix-demographic-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3337317/china-eyes-childcare-overhaul-law-boost-births-fix-demographic-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Dec 2025 08:30:14 +0000 Luna Sun Luna Sun From cash handouts to reimbursed procedures, local governments across China are throwing money at in vitro fertilisation and related fertility treatments in a bid to coax couples into having children. But some experts warn that the hi-tech push ignores the low-tech reality: raising a family is simply too expensive, and fertility subsidies cannot reverse China’s demographic decline. Jingmen, a city in central Hubei province, is the latest to join the fray, announcing subsidies of up to 10,000... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3336505/chinas-fertility-push-ivf-grants-grow-high-costs-still-deter-couples?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3336505/chinas-fertility-push-ivf-grants-grow-high-costs-still-deter-couples?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Dec 2025 12:30:16 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng In an attempt to solve the global fertility crisis, Chinese scientists have developed a balm for testicles they say can boost sperm activity. The lotion they developed for external application significantly enhanced sperm quality in both animal trials and in vitro studies, regardless of whether the decline in function was caused by exposure to heavy metals, plasticisers, heat stress or natural ageing, the researchers said. The findings of the study, conducted by researchers from several domestic... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3336452/worldwide-sperm-quality-decline-can-easy-use-balm-china-solve-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3336452/worldwide-sperm-quality-decline-can-easy-use-balm-china-solve-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Dec 2025 06:31:34 +0000 William Zheng William Zheng China will expand its national healthcare insurance programme next year to fully cover all out-of-pocket expenses related to childbirth, according to state media reports. It is the country’s latest bid to lift birth rates and avert a looming demographic crisis that threatens to undermine long-term growth prospects. The pledge to widen the medical insurance coverage was unveiled at a national healthcare security conference in Beijing on Saturday, state news agency Xinhua reported. According to a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3336383/china-fully-cover-childbirth-costs-all-fertility-crisis-sparks-economic-alarm?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3336383/china-fully-cover-childbirth-costs-all-fertility-crisis-sparks-economic-alarm?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Dec 2025 09:00:18 +0000 Luna Sun Luna Sun China’s average life expectancy hit a record 79 years in 2024, edging closer to developed-nation levels as the country grapples with a deepening demographic crisis and scrambles to improve aged-care resources. In discussing the all-time high, which broke the 2023 record of 78.6 years, National Health Commission (NHC) head Lei Haichao reiterated on Monday that the country’s newborns should be expected to live an average of 80 years by 2030 – a key metric in President Xi Jinping’s “Healthy China”... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3335079/living-79-chinas-record-longevity-puts-economic-wrinkles-focus?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3335079/living-79-chinas-record-longevity-puts-economic-wrinkles-focus?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Dec 2025 12:30:18 +0000 Xinyi Wu Xinyi Wu As China rapidly ages, the senior-care sector is poised to become a significant source of job creation. Yet, enthusiasm among the nation’s young workforce remains lukewarm. The care-services industry, including care for elderly residents, is projected to generate millions of jobs and become a driver of household consumption in the years to come, as national demographics shift towards an older population, according to He Dan, director of the China Population and Development Research Centre under... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3333979/chinas-senior-care-sector-promising-job-growth-clashes-young-workers-reluctance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3333979/chinas-senior-care-sector-promising-job-growth-clashes-young-workers-reluctance?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Nov 2025 13:30:09 +0000 Letters Letters Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words In a recent Chinese-language blog post, Hong Kong’s undersecretary for education Dr Jeff Sze Chun-fai wrote about the city’s digital education blueprint. We at Just Feel welcome the government’s commitment to strengthening the city’s artificial intelligence-related competencies,... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3333622/hong-kongs-ai-education-quest-needs-human-connection-succeed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3333622/hong-kongs-ai-education-quest-needs-human-connection-succeed?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Nov 2025 03:30:11 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial Beyond the technology race, one of the biggest challenges facing China is the shrinking and ageing of its population. After three consecutive years of decline up to 2024, the population is expected to continue falling by about 0.2 per cent a year for the next decade, despite efforts to encourage marriage and child-bearing. This raises questions about sustaining economic expansion to meet economic growth targets. Ageing stemming from greater longevity and fewer births is leaving a shrinking... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3333212/china-ages-nurturing-silver-economy-could-help-drive-growth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3333212/china-ages-nurturing-silver-economy-could-help-drive-growth?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Nov 2025 23:15:08 +0000 Mandy Zuo Mandy Zuo Xiao Mei, a kindergarten teaching assistant living in the suburbs of Hangzhou in eastern China, has barely seen her income rise for three years and is not optimistic about her chances of getting a pay rise any time soon. Still, she counts herself as relatively fortunate. “At least I haven’t had my pay cut or lost my job,” she said, adding that several of her friends had suffered such setbacks recently. Earning around 6,000 yuan (US$845) a month – well below the local average of 13,500 yuan for... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3333084/800-million-how-china-plans-double-its-middle-income-population?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3333084/800-million-how-china-plans-double-its-middle-income-population?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Nov 2025 08:12:04 +0000 Fan Hou Fan Hou To view the Post’s coverage of China’s 15th five-year plan, follow this link. https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3332580/chinas-15th-five-year-plan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3332580/chinas-15th-five-year-plan?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Nov 2025 04:20:49 +0000 Reuters Reuters When bank clerk Ren Yingxiao was looking for a honeymoon destination with her partner, they came across a scenic spot in the Xinjiang region in mainland China that had it all – including a marriage registration office. “So we thought, why not go there and get our marriage certificate as well?” the 30-year-old said about secluded Sayram Lake, where authorities are trying to attract young Chinese to tie the knot as part of a nationwide push to boost marriage rates and ease the country’s... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3332171/want-wedding-nightclub-temple-lake-or-subway-station-china-you-can?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3332171/want-wedding-nightclub-temple-lake-or-subway-station-china-you-can?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Nov 2025 09:15:08 +0000 Brian Rhoads,Raymond Ma Brian Rhoads,Raymond Ma China expects its population to shrink by 0.2 per cent a year between now and 2035, worsening demographic challenges that threaten to slow the nation’s economic growth. “Changes in China’s demographic structure pose new challenges for economic development and social governance,” the Communist Party said in the outline for the 15th five-year plan, which covers the second half of the decade. The population forecast was in a supplementary booklet. Efforts to revive China’s birth rate, including the... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3332338/chinas-population-outlook-gets-even-worse?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3332338/chinas-population-outlook-gets-even-worse?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Nov 2025 09:00:46 +0000 Luna Sun Luna Sun Early in the morning in cities across China, groups of people gather in public squares, moving as one in slow, deliberate tai chi routines. Many are in their sixties or seventies – an age group that has long defined the rhythm of daily life in much of the country. While these dedicated practitioners have been a part of the national routine for decades, their ubiquity carries new connotations as the country undergoes a profound shift in population dynamics: China is growing old, fast. As of last... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3332223/more-china-becomes-moderately-aged-how-will-its-economy-change?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3332223/more-china-becomes-moderately-aged-how-will-its-economy-change?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Nov 2025 22:00:09 +0000 Phoebe Zhang Phoebe Zhang In the central Chinese province of Hubei, one small city is going the extra mile to reverse falling birth rates. Grass-roots volunteers in Tianmen are playing matchmaker for its young singles, combing through the details of all unmarried people in the area, putting the information on community posters and offering their services, according to Guangzhou-based Southern Weekend. Video footage posted on social media showed a swearing-in ceremony for the matchmakers in one village. It is one of a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3332036/state-matchmaking-and-pr-blitz-way-boost-chinas-birth-rate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3332036/state-matchmaking-and-pr-blitz-way-boost-chinas-birth-rate?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 08 Nov 2025 22:00:16 +0000 Luna Sun Luna Sun China recorded a year-on-year uptick of 8.5 per cent in marriage registrations over the first three quarters of 2025, a rare piece of positive demographic news as the country’s population continues to shrink and rise in average age. The increase suggests that a host of recently introduced pro-marriage policies are starting to pay off, but experts cautioned the number of marriages would still decline over the long term as the pool of younger adults dwindles. A total of 5.15 million couples... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3331782/china-records-85-uptick-marriages-new-policies-kick?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3331782/china-records-85-uptick-marriages-new-policies-kick?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Nov 2025 10:30:09 +0000