New Delhi: Official figures released by the government on Friday show China’s population falling again for the third straight year. With an ageing population and shrinking workforce, the second most populous nation is facing some serious demographic challenges.
China had 1.408 billion people at the end of 2024, or 1.39 million fewer than in 2023, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.
This is in keeping with global patterns, particularly in East Asia, where countries such as Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong have seen birth rates fall in similar ways. Three years ago, China entered the group of Japan and the majority of European countries with growing population ageing.
China’s demographic shift is a result of factors that are similar to the ones that you find in other countries. The cost of living is pushing young people lower down the ladder of the necessity of marriage and birthing. Life expectancy has increased, but the increase is too little to compensate for its declining birth rate.
China’s demographic changes present a huge challenge to its economy and society. An ageing population and the gradual shortage of working-age people to take care of the elderly are the two challenges the country is facing.
This demographic shift has far-reaching implications. More than one-fifth of the population is now 60 or over, and China’s pension system is under severe strain. On projection, it is expected to surpass 30% by 2035, a trigger of further discussions about the official retirement age.
China’s demographic challenges—ranging from the shrinking and ageing population to slowing economic growth—put pressure on the government to adjust economic and social policies to the newly arisen needs of an ageing society.