The number of inhabitants of China, the second most populous country in the world, fell by about 2.08 million last yearaccording to official data published today by the National Statistics Office (ONE) of the Asian nation.
The data represents the second consecutive year of contraction, after the population decreased by 850,000 people in 2022, marking the first decline since 1961when the number of inhabitants contracted as a consequence of the failed industrialization policy of the Great Leap Forward.
China has seen a decline in the number of registered marriages in recent years.
Specifically, China closed 2023 with 1,409.67 million inhabitants, which contrasts with the 1,411.75 million that were in the country at the end of the previous year.
The decrease of 2.08 million people represents a drop of 0.14% compared to the previous yearand confirms the negative demographic trend that began in 2022 and about which the Chinese authorities have already been warning for years.
The Asian giant registered 9.02 million births in 2023, in contrast to the 9.5 million recorded in 2022, despite the efforts of both national and local authorities to try to increase birth rates.
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Chinese experts predicted last November that the number of births in China would continue to decline in 2023 for the seventh consecutive year, due to the decline in the number of registered marriages in recent years and the rising age of marriage among young Chinese.
According to official data, the number of men exceeds the number of women, with a proportion of 104.49 men for every 100 women: the number of men stood at 720.3 million, while the number of women was 689.4 million. .The ONE figures also reflect an increase in deaths, which went from 10.41 million to 11.1 million.
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The country needs a system that increases birth rates and reduces the costs of pregnancy, childbirth, schooling and parenting
Since 2021, the Asian giant has allowed its citizens to have a third childalthough the decision has not been received with great enthusiasm by the population, due to both the economic burden of parenting and the priority given to a career.
During the 20th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, held in 2022, the ruling party emphasized that “the country needs a system that increases birth rates and reduces the costs of pregnancy, childbirth, schooling and parenting.”
Last April, UN projections indicated that neighboring India became the most populous country on Earth after surpassing China.
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*With information from EFE
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