China population shrinks for first time in over 60 years
PTI, Jan 17, 2023, 12:32 PM IST
AFP photo
China’s population shrank last year for the first time in more than six decades, official data showed Tuesday, as the world’s most populous nation faces a looming demographic crisis.
The country of 1.4 billion has seen birth rates plunge to record lows as its workforce ages, a rapid decline that analysts warn could stymie economic growth and pile pressure on strained public coffers.
“By the end of 2022, the national population was 1,411.75 million,” Beijing’s National Bureau of Statistics said, adding it was a “decrease of 0.85 million over that at the end of 2021.”
The last time China’s population declined was in 1960, as the country battled the worst famine in its modern history, caused by Mao Zedong’s disastrous agricultural policy known as the Great Leap Forward.
China ended its strict “one-child policy” — imposed in the 1980s due to fears of overpopulation — in 2016, and in 2021 began allowing couples to have three children.
But that has failed to reverse the demographic decline.
Udayavani is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with the latest news.
Top News
Related Articles More
Two persons injured in fight between Maldivians and Indians in the Maldives
International students in Canada will be allowed to work only 24 hours a week from September
RAW official was involved in assassination plot of Sikh separatist leader Pannun: Report
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar appointed as deputy prime minister
Elon Musk in Beijing amid efforts to promote Tesla’s autonomous driving tech
MUST WATCH
Latest Additions
‘Shehzada’ dig: 3 generations of Nehru-Gandhi family sacrificed themselves for country, says Sharad Pawar
Rinku Singh a casualty of IPL’s ‘Impact Player’ rule: Report quotes BCCI source on T20 World Cup
Delhi cops question Youth Cong leader in MP’s Chhatarpur over fake video of Shah
Kumaraswamy and Shivakumar spar over sex scandal involving Hassan MP
Poor people have more children, why only Muslims are being targeted: Kharge asks PM