China reported on Tuesday (17) its first population decline since 1961.
There were 1.41175 billion people living in China at the end of 2022 – a drop of about 850,000 compared to the end of the previous year, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in Beijing.
A total of 9.56 million people were born in the country in 2022 and 10.41 million people died, according to the NBS.
The demographic decline data was released as Beijing faces a rise in coronavirus deaths after ending its “COVID Zero” policy that imposed many restrictions, including lockdowns, which weakened its economy and disrupted global supply chains.
Data also recently released shows that China’s economy grew by 3% last year – well below the Chinese Communist Party’s target of 5.5% at the beginning of 2022.
In recent years, Beijing has responded to the slowing population growth rate by relaxing family planning restrictions, including the strict one-child policy that was implemented in 1980 and abolished at the end of 2015.
The United Nations projects that India will surpass China as the world’s most populous nation at some point this year.