Particle.news
Download on the App Store
41 ARTICLES
·
3h ago

China’s Birth Rate Hits Record Low as Population Declines for Fourth Straight Year

Fresh 2025 data highlight structural hurdles despite new incentives.

A woman lifts up a child in Beijing, China, on Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
People catch a sight of the snow-covered Forbidden City from a pavilion with lantern decorations at the Jingshan Park a day after the snow fall, in Beijing, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Visitors flock to the snow-covered Forbidden City a day after the snow fall, in Beijing, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
A woman crouches beside a baby sitting in a stroller on a sidewalk along a city street, on January 9, 2026, in Chongqing, China.

Overview

  • The National Bureau of Statistics reported 7.92 million births in 2025, a rate of 5.63 per 1,000 people and a 17% drop from 2024.
  • Deaths reached 11.31 million, reducing the population by about 3.39 million to 1.4049 billion.
  • Beijing rolled out cash payments for young children, waived public kindergarten fees, expanded pregnancy and IVF reimbursements, and applied a 13% VAT to contraceptives.
  • Experts point to high child‑rearing costs, career penalties for women, urbanisation and declining marriage rates as primary drags on fertility, with estimates placing total fertility near 1.
  • Rapid ageing is tightening fiscal and labour pressures, with roughly 23% over age 60 and projections above 400 million by 2035, while 2025 GDP met the 5% target largely on the strength of exports.