WEB DESK
China’s population has declined for a second consecutive year. The official data released, today, showed a population of 1.409 billion at the end of 2023, a 2.08 million decrease from 2022. According to data, the most recent decline is double that of the previous year, which marked the first population drop in 60 years.
Beijing said that the birth rate was now down to 6.39 per 1,000 people on par with other advanced East Asian nations such as Japan and South Korea. The country has seen falling birth rates for decades, after imposing one child-policy in 1979 to control over- population at the time. In 2015, it was discontinued to try and stem the population fall. The Government also brought in a series of other incentives such as subsidies and payments to encourage people to start families. In 2021, it further relaxed the limit to allow couples to have up to three children. However, the policies have borne little impact with young people in modern cities citing deterrents like the cost of living and career priorities after a three-year COVID-19 period.