Ajit Karn
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By 2022’s end, the world’s population had dwindled by 850,000 to 1.41175 billion.
The decline was the worst since the final year of the Great Famine in China in 1961.
It’s possible that India will overtake China as the most populous country this year.
BEIJING/HONG KONG: For the first time in over 60 years, China’s population declined last year, a historic turn that is expected to mark the beginning of a long period of decline in the number of Chinese citizens and have far-reaching consequences for China’s economy and the global economy.
Predictions that India will overtake China as the world’s most populous nation this year have been bolstered by this decline, the worst since 1961, the final year of China’s Great Famine.
The National Bureau of Statistics reported that by the end of 2022, China’s population had dropped by about 850,000, to a total of 1.41175 billion people.
UN experts predict a long-term decline in China’s population of 109 million by 2050, which is more than three times as large as the decline predicted in 2019.
Demographers within China have lamented that the country’s population is ageing faster than its economy, which will lead to a slowdown as tax revenues decline and government debt rises to cover rising health and welfare costs.
“The economic and demographic forecast for China is much less optimistic than previously believed.
China must revise its approach to social, economic, defence, and foreign policy “according to demographer Yi Fuxian.
High prices and inflation in the United States and Europe will be exacerbated, he said, by the country’s dwindling workforce and weakening manufacturing sector.
The national statistics bureau issued a statement assuring the public that the “overall labour supply still exceeds demand,” reassuring them that the population decline poses no threat.
The birthrate in China dropped to a record low of 6.77 per 1,000 in 2018, from 7.52 in 2021.
At 7.37 deaths per 1,000 people in 2021, the death rate was higher than at any time since the Cultural Revolution of 1974.
Effects of the One-Child Policy
China’s one-child policy, which was in place from 1980 to 2015, and rising education costs are to blame for a significant portion of the country’s declining birthrate.
After the numbers were released on Tuesday, they quickly became the most talked about topic on Chinese social media.
A question like “#Is it really important to have offspring?” received millions of views.
“Because of societal pressures and men’s unwillingness to shoulder their fair share of child rearing responsibilities, many women simply do not want children.
The spiritual and emotional well-being of mothers suffers greatly as a result “One user by the name of “Joyous Ned” posted on the internet.
Population experts have expressed concern that China’s strict zero-COVID policies, which were in place for three years, have further damaged the country’s demographic outlook.
Since 2021, local governments have implemented incentives like tax deductions, extended maternity leave, and housing subsidies to encourage people to have more children.
In October, President Xi Jinping announced that the government would implement new pro-growth policies.
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But so far, the measures taken haven’t done much to stop the trend.
Baby stroller searches on China’s Baidu search engine dropped 17% in 2022 and 41% since 2018, while baby bottle searches dropped 35% since 2018.
Meanwhile, inquiries about senior care facilities increased eightfold in the past year.
Whereas searches for cribs increased nearly fivefold in 2022, searches for baby bottles increased by only 15% year over year in India.
