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China marks first population decline in six decades

2023-01-17 17:46:26Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
China marks first population decline in six decades
China marks first population decline in six decades

For the first time in decades, China has fewer residents compared to the beginning of last year. The most populous country in the world, for years, has been facing the concern of the aging population and the impact of this trend on the country's economy and society. Official figures show that China had over a million fewer babies born last year. In 2022, the Chinese Bureau of Statistics reported 9.6 million births, while in 2021, 10.6 million births were recorded.

Last year, China's population fell for the first time in six decades, a historic turnaround that is expected to mark the beginning of a long period of population decline, a trend that is expected to have a major impact on the country's economy. Asian country.

The population decline, the largest since the Great Famine of China in 1961, bolsters predictions that this year India will become the world's most populous country.

China's population fell by nearly 850,000 to 1.4 billion at the end of 2022, the country's National Bureau of Statistics said.

The number of births last year was 6.77 per 1,000 inhabitants, down from 7.52 in 2021, a record low birth rate.

China also recorded its highest death rate since 1974, with 7.37 deaths per 1,000 inhabitants, compared to a rate of 7.18 deaths in 2021.

United Nations experts predict the Chinese population will shrink by 109 million by 2050, more than triple the decline they predicted in 2019.

Chinese demographers say the phenomenon will have a major impact on the country's economy, with revenues expected to fall alongside rising government spending on caring for a rapidly aging population.

One of the main causes of China's population decline is the "One Child Per Family" law that China implemented between 1980 and 2015, as well as high education costs that have encouraged many Chinese to have no more than one child. , or even not have at all.

"We were both born in the 80s and belong to the generation with only one child. We both have parents and grandparents alive. We have to take care of at least four elderly people. Now the government is encouraging us to have three children, but we can't afford it. If we have a third child, who will take care of it? It is a very serious issue," says Song, a resident of Beijing.

"If the married couple are only children themselves, they have to remember six to eight elderly people, if we count parents and grandparents. Leaving aside the financial burden, it is quite a heavy burden for our generation in terms of time and energy," says Wang, another resident.

From 2021 local governments have started implementing policies to encourage people to have more children, including tax cuts, extended maternity leave and housing subsidies. But the steps are not expected to halt the long-term trend.

"The cost of raising a child is very high, when they are small, when they start school, when they look for work, the cost is unaffordable. We currently have no plans to have a second child," says 44-year-old Li, a resident of Beijing.

According to the Chinese site Baidu, online searches for a baby carriage in China fell by 17 percent in 2022 and 41 percent compared to 2018.

On the other hand, searches for nursing homes have increased eightfold in the past year.

Demographers say China's strict zero-COVID policies that have been in place for three years have caused further damage to the country's bleak population outlook.

Another worrying trend in China is economic growth, which in 2022 fell to one of the lowest points in nearly half a century.

According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, China's gross domestic product grew by just 3 percent last year, far short of the official target of about 5.5 percent.


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