China's Population Decline: A Worrying Trend for the Future

Mon Jan 19 2026 17:07:58 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

For the fourth consecutive year, China's population has declined as birth rates hit an all-time low. Explore the government's efforts to address this issue amidst an aging demographic.

China's population decreased by 3.39 million in 2025, falling to 1.4 billion and setting a record low birth rate of 5.63 per 1,000 people. Despite implementing multiple birth incentives, including cash bonuses for parents and tax changes, the aging population and rising living costs continue to hinder family growth. Experts predict a further decline in population, raising concerns about economic and social impacts.

China's population fell for the fourth straight year in 2025 as its birth rates sunk to a record low, despite the government rolling out a spate of incentives to boost them.

The country's population fell by 3.39 million to reach 1.4 billion by the end of 2025, marking a quicker decline than the previous year, government data showed on Monday.

Its birth rate fell to 5.63 per 1,000 people – a record low since the Communist Party took power in 1949 – while its death rate rose to 8.04 per 1,000 people, the highest since 1968.

Faced with an aging population and sluggish economy, Beijing has been trying hard to encourage more young people to marry and have children.

In 2016, it scrapped its longstanding one-child policy and replaced it with a two-child limit. When that did not lead to a sustained upsurge in births, authorities announced that they would allow up to three children per couple in 2021.

More recently, China has offered parents 3,600 yuan (£375; $500) per each of their children under the age of three. Certain provinces are also dishing out their own baby bonuses, including additional payouts and extended maternity leave.

Some of these incentives have stirred controversy. For instance, a new 13% tax on contraceptives has sparked concern about unwanted pregnancies and HIV rates.

China has one of the lowest fertility rates in the world, at around one birth per woman, below the replacement rate of 2.1. Other economies in the region, such as South Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan, have similarly low fertility rates.

Experts at the United Nations believe China's population will continue to decline, estimating that the nation will lose more than half of its current population by 2100.

A shrinking population has economic and social implications for the world's second-largest economy, exacerbating an already declining workforce, and weak consumer sentiment.

With many young people moving away from their parents, there is also a growing number of seniors who are being left to look after themselves or rely on government payments. The pension pot is running dry, according to the state-run Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.