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China's population

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China's population
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.
Some people in China are sharing AI-generated videos of middle-aged single women crying in hospitals, regretting their choice not to marry or have children. Photo: SCMP composite / Shutterstock / Douyin
China society

Opinion | In China, the pressure on women to marry is deadly serious

Wedding-day death of Henan teacher highlights desperation of young women caught between modern hopes and traditional expectations.

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China birth rate

Baby bust: China births plunge 17% in 2025 to historic low as population shrinks

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China society

Outside In | We are speeding towards a demography of loneliness

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China society

Opinion | Without pension reform, China is leaving its rural elderly out in the cold

What looks like a side-effect of ‘coal-to-gas’ heating programmes is really a structural issue: rural pensions are not enough to live on.

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A worker sweeps snow in the town of Zhengding in north China’s Hebei province on January 5, 2020. Photo: Xinhua
China economy

Opinion | Why China is still struggling to ‘invest in people’

To boost demand, Beijing must upend its long-held mantra of production over livelihoods and investment over consumption.

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China birth rate

China eyes childcare overhaul with a law to boost births, fix demographic crisis

Proposed legislation seeks to lower child-rearing costs and standardise services, especially for children under three, to ease the burden on parents.

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China society

China’s fertility push: IVF grants grow, but high costs still deter couples

Local governments are subsidising a portion of expensive treatments, but experts warn that cash handouts will not fix the economic pressure of raising a family.

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With China’s infertility rate estimated at 12 to 15 per cent, assisted reproduction is seen as a potential lever. Photo: AFP
Science

Sperm quality decline: could easy-to-use balm from China solve the crisis?

In China, unhealthy lifestyles, pollution and work-related stress are cited in public health discussions around declining sperm quality.

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Mainland China

China to cover childbirth costs for all in latest bid to avert population crisis

Aim is to achieve ‘no out-of-pocket expenses’ for baby deliveries, along with better coverage for prenatal check-ups and labour pain relief.

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China's ageing population

Living to 79: China’s record longevity puts economic wrinkles in focus

Improved healthcare outcomes are colliding with China’s three-year population decline, testing social safety nets despite improvements in medical infrastructure.

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The share of China’s citizens aged 65 and above rose to 15.6 per cent in 2024, up from 13.5 per cent in 2020. Photo: Getty Images
China jobs

Youth unfulfilled: job opportunities in China’s senior-care sector go untapped

Amid booming opportunities in the care economy as China’s population gets older, new graduates express concerns over low wages and unfamiliarity with the field.

An elderly person chats with a staff worker at an aged-care service centre in China’s Hainan province last month. Photo: Xinhua
Education in Hong Kong

Letters | Hong Kong’s AI education quest needs human connection to succeed

Readers discuss the importance of emotional and social learning, a suggestion to internationalise Hong Kong’s university entrance exam, and a way to encourage more Chinese to get married.

China's ageing population

Editorial | As China ages, nurturing the silver economy could help drive growth

Beyond technological competitiveness, it is important for China to build an elderly care system that supports an increasingly ageing populace.

China consumption

800 million: how a new target indicates a shift in China’s economic strategy

China projects it will have 800 million people living on middle incomes in 10 years, as it pledges to ‘invest more in people’.

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Shoppers walk the streets in Beijing. China projects its middle-income population will reach 800 million within the next 10 years. Photo: EPA-EFE
China’s fourth plenum

China’s 15th five-year plan

The approved outline for China’s 15th five-year plan highlights efforts to spur domestic consumption, boost technological self-sufficiency and further raise the nation’s industrial competitiveness. The plan will come into effect in 2026.

China’s 15th five-year plan
Tourism

In China, you can get married in a temple, in a club, even a subway station

China is letting couples wed anywhere in the country, from a lake with meaningful statistics to a subway station with a romantic name.

China's ageing population

China’s population outlook gets even worse

The new five-year plan assumes a 0.2 per cent annual population decline as the government struggles to revive birth rates and prevent the increasing ageing of the country.

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China's ageing population

As more of China becomes ‘moderately aged’, how will its economy change?

Much of China has passed a key demographic threshold as the population ages, making adaptations necessary for policymakers and businesses.

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Illustration: Henry Wong
China's ageing population

State matchmaking and a PR blitz – is this the way to boost China’s birth rate?

The dramatic approach adopted by one city is attracting nationwide attention, but critics warn more fundamental policy changes are needed.

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China birth rate

Chinese couples crowd the aisle as new policies lead to marriage bounce

Incentives for Chinese couples to wed appear to be bearing fruit, a piece of positive news as the country’s population shrinks and ages.

China GDP

China names GDP benchmark for headline target: 4.17% annual growth through 2035

Official publication provides average growth rate to meet long-term goal, clarifying the next decade’s targets in pursuit of development goal.

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People shop at a supermarket in Zaozhuang, Shandong province, last month. Photo: Xinhua
China food security

‘Extremely dangerous’: why China’s 5-year plan will double down on food security

Beijing has made huge strides in its self-sufficiency push – but trade tensions, climate risks and supply-chain shocks keep fears alive.

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Illustration: Henry Wong
China birth rate

Research reveals mismatch between China’s fertility incentives, local birth rates

Despite low ranking in study’s fertility-friendliness index, Guangdong province had one of the country’s highest birth rates last year.

China manufacturing

As China’s population falls, 300,000-strong robot army keeps factories humming

The country leads the world in newly installed industrial robots, far ahead of Japan and the US.

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China's ageing population

Opinion | Gloomy population projections for China? Add a pinch of salt

The UN’s drastic forecast shouldn’t be taken at face value. Still, China should rethink its urbanisation strategy and learn from the US.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
China birth rate

China tackles 2 problems at once with birth subsidy for women in science

Shanghai programme providing grants to scientists who have given birth intended to ease the twin burdens of motherhood and high-level research.

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Shanghai’s new subsidy for recent mothers employed as researchers is intended to promote scientific innovation as well as an increase in birth rates. Photo: Getty Images
China education

China’s population decline laid bare as Shanghai school enrols only 22 pupils

The primary school in central Shanghai now has more teachers than students, as China’s plunging birth rate disrupts the education system.

China birth rate

China’s new child subsidy is popular. But will it actually raise the birth rate?

China hopes the payments will convince couples to have more children. Parents say that is highly unlikely to happen.

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