China’s Population Declines Further in 2024
China’s Population Declines for the Second Year in a Row
According to the latest data from the National Bureau of Statistics (UIB), China’s population decreased from 1 billion 409 million 670 thousand in 2023 to 1 billion 408 million 280 thousand in 2024. This marks the second consecutive year of population decline in the country.
The trend of decreasing population in China began in 2022, and has continued in 2023 and 2024. In 2022, China experienced a population decrease for the first time since the early 1960s due to famine. This marked the beginning of a long-term trend of population decline in the country.
Despite the overall decrease in population, there has been an increase in the birth rate and a decrease in the death rate. In 2024, 9.54 million babies were born, representing a 5.7 percent increase from the previous year. The birth rate also rose from 6.39 per thousand in 2023 to 6.77 per thousand in 2024. The death rate decreased from 7.87 per thousand to 7.76 per thousand.
The distribution of the population by age groups shows that the working-age population (16 to 59 years old) accounted for 60.9 percent of the total population, while the population aged 60 and over constituted 22 percent. The population aged 65 and over reached 15.6 percent of the total population.
The urban population in China increased to 943.50 million in 2024, while the rural population decreased to 464.78 million. This shift has led to an urban population share of 67 percent, with rural population share at 33 percent.
Analysts suggest that China is entering a long-term demographic shift where the population will age and the working-age population will shrink. Since 2016, China’s population growth rate has been declining, and it is expected to decrease even further in the coming years.
Despite the government’s efforts to encourage families to have more children, economic uncertainties and rising living costs have led to hesitation among new generations to start families. This trend is predicted to have implications on China’s future workforce potential and economic growth.
As China continues to grapple with population decline and aging, the country will need to adapt its policies and strategies to address the challenges posed by these demographic changes.
