China’s population shrinks as birth rate hits record low
China recorded its lowest birth rate in 2025, as its population shrank for the fourth consecutive year
China, once the world’s most populous nation, is facing a continuing population decline, with birth rates in 2025 reaching a historic low. Experts warn that the shrinking population could pose economic and social challenges for the world’s second-largest economy.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, China’s birth rate fell to 5.63 births per 1,000 people last year, down from 6.39 per 1,000 in 2023. While there was a slight uptick in 2024, analysts say it was a temporary anomaly rather than a reversal of the long-term downward trend that began in 2016.
In 2025, 7.92 million babies were born in China, while 11.31 million deaths were recorded, resulting in a population decline of 3.39 million. The country’s total population now stands at 1.4 billion, remaining the second-largest globally after India. Despite demographic challenges, China’s economy grew 5% last year, meeting government targets.
China’s low birth rate is partly a legacy of the former “one-child policy,” which limited most couples to a single child and was lifted in 2016. Other factors cited for the decline include higher education levels, delayed marriages, rapid urbanization, and the rising cost of raising children.