China’s population has declined for a second consecutive year, underscoring concerns about the future growth of the world’s second-largest economy.
Data released today showed a population of 1.409 billion by the end of 2023 – a 2.08m decrease from 2022. The most recent decline is double that of the previous year, which marked the first population drop in 60 years.
But experts say this fall is expected given the country’s expanding urban class and record-low birth rate. Beijing today said 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.