Despite multiple policy efforts by the Chinese government to boost population growth, the country is witnessing a continuous decline in its population, accompanied by a rapidly ageing society. Recent media reports reveal that China’s birth rate has fallen to a historic low.
According to the latest official data, only 7.92 million babies were born last year in China, marking a roughly 17 percent decrease from 9.54 million births the previous year. This is the lowest birth figure since 1949, as reported by the Myanmar-based Mekong News.
The report states that China’s total population has decreased by 3.39 million, settling at 1.4049 billion. Meanwhile, the number of deaths rose to 11.3 million, one of the highest in the past five decades.
These figures highlight the limited success of recently implemented family support policies and childcare subsidies. The data also reflect the long-term demographic imbalance caused by decades of strict family planning policies and the growing challenges of an ageing population.
Chinese experts have expressed concern that the persistent population decline will deeply impact the country’s economy, labour market, and social structure in the coming decades. The report points to socio-economic challenges such as delayed marriage or choosing not to marry, rising living costs, housing insecurity, and intense workplace competition, which are reducing people’s willingness to become parents.
The shrinking and ageing population poses risks to long-term productivity, puts pressure on pension systems, and weakens the consumer base, even as China’s leadership aims to promote domestic demand-led economic growth.
In response, Beijing has introduced several incentive schemes over the past year to encourage population growth. These include a national childcare subsidy of up to 10,800 yuan (approximately 1,534 US dollars) per child under three years of age, considered the largest family support measure since the three-child policy was adopted in 2021.
Other measures involve expanding insurance coverage for childbirth-related expenses, tightening regulations in the childcare sector, simplifying marriage registration, and making divorce procedures more stringent.
The report also notes that marriage registrations fell to 6.106 million in 2024, the lowest since 1980. However, early signs of recovery are visible, with an 8.5 percent increase in marriage registrations during the first three quarters of 2025. In Shanghai and Fujian, the rise was 38.7 percent and 12 percent respectively.
The China Population Association estimates around 6.9 million marriages in 2025 and expects birth numbers to slightly exceed 8 million in 2026.
Nonetheless, the report warns that the number of women of reproductive age continues to decline, the desire to have children remains weak, and decisions to become parents are being postponed. Without broad social support, affordable housing, better work-life balance, gender-equal employment policies, and reliable childcare systems, these policy changes are likely to only slow down rather than reverse the demographic decline.
My name is Bhupendra Singh Chundawat. I am an experienced content writer with several years of expertise in the field. Currently, I contribute to Daily Kiran, creating engaging and informative content across a variety of categories including technology, health, travel, education, and automobiles. My goal is to deliver accurate, insightful, and captivating information through my words to help readers stay informed and empowered.
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