China’s population was likely to decline for the second year in a row due to a sharp rise in deaths from COVID-19. Last year, the Chinese authorities suddenly lifted all anti-coronavirus restrictions, and this winter the country was hit by a wave of respiratory diseases.
The so-called undiagnosed pneumonia is spreading especially widely. The outbreak is characterized by severe forms of the disease and high mortality. At the same time, both children and adults suffer from it.
Demographers estimate that China’s population data shows that the number of new births in 2023 fell below the previous year’s figure of nine million 560 thousand.
This is explained not only by mortality from disease, but also by other problems: an aging population and high child care costs. This was also influenced by the long-term policy of the authorities called “One family – one child,” which was in force from 1979 to 2015.
In 2022, China’s population declined for the first time in 60 years. This historic turn is expected to mark the beginning of a long period of population decline. And this will have profound consequences for the economy of China and the rest of the world.
The problem of an aging population has become particularly acute. It is expected that there will be 400 million Chinese over 60 years of age by 2035. That’s more than the population of the United States. Now there are approximately 280 million.
It is worth noting that last year China also ceased to be the most populous country in the world. India took this title from him.
