China: population reduction is the result of decades of failed family planning measures, will have global impact

Population of China: The population of China has decreased for the first time in 60 years and will be reduced by half by the end of the century. A government official said that after a few years of population decline, China is now in an "era of negative population growth".

The national birth rate has reached a record low of 6.77 births per 1,000 people. China has long been the most populous country in the world. 

Strict family planning measures were implemented in the 70s

China's rapid population growth began to slow down in the 1970s. The Chinese government then introduced family planning measures for fear of "overpopulation". The most stringent measure was the One Child Policy adopted in 1980. Under this, every family was allowed to produce only one child. However, members of certain ethnic minorities and rural households were exceptions to this policy. 

Measures were implemented to raise the standard of living

At the time, the government argued that reducing population growth would free up scarce resources needed to raise living standards and promote economic growth. Therefore, the rate of growth of China's population remained slow for several decades. But now, for the first time in decades, the population has started decreasing.

Depletion of the population in China is a matter of debate

At present, it is a matter of debate whether China's population has really peaked and when and how fast this reduction will occur. The United Nations estimated in 2022 that China's population would begin to decline around 2030. Data on China's population is unreliable depending on who is doing the counting. According to China's National Bureau of Statistics, the country will have 1.4117 billion people at the end of 2022, compared to 1.4126 billion a year earlier. 

Impact on the world

When more people live longer and fewer children are born, this has two consequences. One would be a reduced workforce and the other would be increased costs for older people. China's rapid economic growth is a result of its large and cheap workforce. With fewer workers available and global moves away from China, companies may move their production elsewhere.