At the end of 2024, China’s population stood at 1.408 billion, down from 1.410 billion in 2023.
China’s population will decline for the third year in a row in 2024. The country has been challenged for years with a rapidly aging population and persistently low birth rates.
China, once the world’s most populous country, will fall behind India in 2023, AFP reported from Beijing on Friday. Beijing is pushing subsidies and reproductive support campaigns to boost birth rates.
By the end of 2024, China’s population stood at 1.408 billion, down from 1.410 billion in 2023. The pace of population decline was slightly slower than last year. The rate of population decline in 2023 was more than double that of 2022. In 2016, China abolished the strict ‘one-child policy’ introduced in the 1980s to control population. In 2021, couples were allowed to have three children. However, this policy has not yet stopped population decline. High cost of living, women’s entry into the workforce and interest in higher education are believed to be responsible for the decline in birth rates.
Experts believe that this trend of population decline will continue in the future. They say the trend will continue due to the economic downturn and gender inequality in the labor market for women. A rapidly aging population and birthrate crisis are putting pressure on China’s economy, pension and public health systems.