Michelle ThompsonIn 2023, China’s population declined for the second consecutive year, exacerbating a significant demographic challenge with far-reaching consequences for the world’s second-largest economy.
According to the China National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the population dropped to 1.409 billion in 2023, a decrease of approximately 2.08 million people from the previous year. Simultaneously, China’s economy grew by 5.2% in 2023, falling short of the government’s target of around 5%. Although this growth rate represents a notable improvement from the 3% expansion seen in 2022, it still ranks among the weakest economic performances in China over the past three decades.
Additionally, China’s birth rate hit a historic low of 6.39 births per 1,000 people, down from 6.77 in the previous year, marking the lowest level since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. The number of babies born in 2023 was 9.02 million, a decrease from 9.56 million in 2022.
The working-age population (those aged 16 to 59) decreased by 10.75 million in 2023, while the number of elderly individuals aged 60 and above increased by 16.93 million compared to the previous year.
These latest statistics follow China’s population decline in 2022, the first in decades, which analysts attributed to factors like the 1961 famine triggered by Mao Zedong’s Great Leap Forward. In 2022, India surpassed China as the world’s most populous country.
Despite government efforts to encourage more couples to have children, including the abandonment of the long-standing “one-child” policy in 2015 due to its role in contributing to an aging population and a shrinking workforce, China’s birth rate remains on a downward trajectory. The situation continues to pose economic and social challenges for the country’s stability.
