China’s population declines as birth rate continues to fall

International

CHINA’S birth rate fell to its lowest level ever in 2025, despite government incentives to encourage families to have more children. The country’s population also dropped for the fourth year in a row, highlighting the challenges of an ageing society.

By the end of 2025, China’s population fell by 3.39 million, leaving about 1.4 billion people—a faster decline than the year before.

In a report by BBC, official figures show only 5.63 babies were born for every 1,000 people, the lowest rate since 1949, when the Communist Party came to power. At the same time, the death rate rose to 8.04 per 1,000 people, the highest since 1968.

China now has one of the lowest birth rates in the world, with about one child per woman, far below the level needed to maintain a stable population. Countries such as South Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan face similar trends.

The shrinking population could weaken China’s economy.

Fewer workers and lower spending may slow growth, while many older citizens rely on government support. Experts warn that pension funds are running low.

The government has introduced several measures to encourage more births. In 2016, it ended the one-child policy, allowing couples to have two children. When this failed to increase births, the limit was expanded to three children per couple in 2021.

More recently, parents were offered 3,600 yuan for each child under three. Some regions also provide extra payments and longer maternity leave.

But some policies have sparked concern. A 13% tax on birth control products, including condoms and pills, has raised fears of unwanted pregnancies and higher HIV rates.

Raising a child in China is also very expensive. A 2024 report found the country is among the costliest places in the world to raise children.

Financial pressure is not the only reason families are having fewer children. A resident from Beijing told the BBC in an interview, “I have very few peers who have children, and if they do, they're obsessed about getting the best nanny or enrolling the kids in the best schools. It sounds exhausting.”

Experts from the United Nations predict China’s population will continue to shrink and could lose more than half of its people by 2100.(Adriane Josef Cabase, USJ-R Comm Intern)