The case in summary China’s population has experienced a dramatic decline. The decline could have major consequences for the country’s economy, as there will be fewer workers to support an aging population. China has had a one-child policy since 1979 to limit population growth, but this was repealed in 2015. Despite the repeal of the one-child policy, the birth rate has continued to fall, which may be due to economic and social factors. The countdown to Chinese New Year and the year of the dragon is upon us. It could be a band-aid for China, which reports a dramatic decline in its population. Recent figures show that there were 2.7 million fewer Chinese last year. Now they are 1.409 billion. It is the biggest decline since Mao Zedong’s policies led to a famine in 1961. We already saw the trend last year. Then the Chinese population decreased by 800,000 and was overtaken by India as the world’s largest nation. This time it is not hunger that is the cause. Now it depends mostly on the will, and the capacity, to have children. Children born in the year of the dragon are often attributed with qualities such as strength, intelligence and success. Photo: GREG BAKER / AFP The Year of the Dragon The Year of the Dragon may ease the trend a little. The Chinese have traditionally planned births at favorable times according to the Chinese calendar. The dragon is often associated with emperors, strength, intelligence and success. Children born in the year of the dragon are thus often attributed these qualities. It is therefore possible that there will be an upswing in birth numbers after the Chinese New Year in February. An increase in weddings after the pandemic may also help. The long-term trend is nevertheless not to be misunderstood. The arrows point downwards. Many Chinese people aim to have children at times that are favorable according to the Chinese calendar. Photo: Andy Wong / AP Went viral Of course, deaths also contributed to the population decline. The death toll in 2023 was the highest in fifty years. This is due to both an older population and corona-related deaths. Many of the old were not vaccinated when China suddenly reopened society after the pandemic, at the end of 2022. It is still childlessness that constitutes the most ominous tendency towards ever-lower population numbers. Never before have so few newborns been registered in China, with just over six births per 1,000 people. The reason why many Chinese do not want to have children is complex, but is often related to the fact that it costs too much, both in money and in effort. Many of China’s parents are themselves only children. Photo: WANG ZHAO / AFP Private tuition Often they refuse to have children, because they have to help the pod to reach the top in the competitive society. It costs. Parents feel obliged to spend a lot of money and time on private lessons in music, sports and languages for the child. Many of China’s young people are also only children, born under the one-child policy that was in force from 1979-2015. Without siblings of their own, they thus become responsible for both their parents when they become ill and old. The elderly wave is at full speed in China. During 2035, 400 million Chinese will be over the age of sixty. Photo: GREG BAKER / AFP Paid for children And despite the fact that today’s young people have grown up with formidable economic growth and very good future prospects, the Chinese economy has cooled after the pandemic. The property sector, which has been a key driver of the Chinese economy, is struggling to deliver. While buying an apartment used to be a safe investment, many fear that the apartments they have paid for will never be completed. There is also unemployment among young people. Last summer, one in five struggled to find a job, and then China stopped presenting data. Even those who have struggled through a demanding educational course are no longer guaranteed employment. Now many people want to be employed by the public sector, in order to feel safe. The property sector has been an important driver of the Chinese economy. Many are now reluctant to invest in apartments, because they are unsure whether the buildings will be completed. Photo: Jason Lee / Reuters In a hurry to turn around Andre backs up, jumps off the stress carousel, and opens a cafe in the countryside. The message to the young people is now that they must “eat their bitterness” and possibly find a job, specifically in the countryside. The trend of childlessness began before all this, but now it has become even more difficult to reverse. Last year, twenty measures were put forward to improve the situation. Offers on IVF for the childless are one of them. In some parts of the country, couples are paid around forty thousand kroner to have more than one child. It is urgent for the authorities to reverse the trend. The country needs more taxpayers to drive the economy forward, not least because the wave of elderly people will be very expensive. Childhood in China is characterized by a lot of learning so that they can assert themselves in the competitive society. Photo: PEDRO PARDO / AFP
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Dramatic decline in China’s population – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
