November 23, 2021
1 min read

China’s birth rate drops to lowest since 1978

The government is under pressure to prevent a potential population decline after decades of interventionist policies on childbirth and more recent pressures including high living costs…reports Asian Lite News

 China’s birth rate has plummeted to its lowest level since 1978 as the government struggles to stave off a looming demographic crisis, The Guardian reported.

Data released by the country’s national bureau of statistics shows there were 8.5 births per 1,000 people in 2020, the first time in decades that the figure has fallen below 10. The statistical yearbook, released at the weekend, said the natural rate of population growth – taking in births and deaths – was at a new low of 1.45, the report said.

The government is under pressure to prevent a potential population decline after decades of interventionist policies on childbirth and more recent pressures including high living costs, the report said.

It did not give reasons for the dramatic drop, but demographers have previously pointed to the relatively low number of women of child-bearing age and the rising cost of raising a family.

The yearbook reported a drop in per capita spending on educational, cultural and recreational costs, and health and medical services for rural and urban Chinese, and an increase in household income. Housing costs also rose, the report said.

China’s population woes are largely driven by a one-child policy that was implemented in 1980 and ran – with some exemptions – until 2015, but they are part of a broader pattern around the world, particularly in East Asia.

Governments and local authorities have introduced a swathe of policies seeking to reverse the trend, from relaxing limits on having children, to easing costs associated with education and child rearing, and introducing mandatory “cooling off periods for divorce”.

China’s yearbook revealed a fall in divorces for the first time since at least 1985, to about 4.3 m, though there were also fewer marriages, 8.14 m, compared with 9.27 m the year before, the report added.

ALSO READ: Britain demands China give proof of tennis Shuai’s safety

Previous Story

Star Launches UAE’s First Naturally Sweetened Fruit Drink

Next Story

Canadian Men Who Can Make an Australian Open Run

Latest from -Top News

Pak Army Chief Targets India Again

This is not the first time that Munir has indulged in loose talk, exhibiting conduct unbecoming an officer….reports Asian Lite News Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir on

Relief for Students: US Visa Cancellations Paused

More than 1,500 student visas have been cancelled so far…reports Asian Lite News The United States on Friday abruptly paused the cancellation of student visas issued to international students, according to reports.

Yunus Must Be Treated Like Hasina, Warn Islamists

Islamist group made these warnings to the interim government, terming the women’s reform body proposals as “anti-Islamic…reports Asian Lite News The radical Islamist group in Bangladesh, Hefazat-e-Islam, has issued a threat, stating

UN: Bring Pahalgam Terrorists to Justice

The members of the Security Council “stressed that those responsible for these killings should be held accountable..reports Asian Lite News The Security Council has “condemned in the strongest terms” the Pahalgam terrorist
Go toTop

Don't Miss

After Solomons, Vanuatu is PLA’s next Pacific island base

The carefully curated list of ten island countries visited by

Maritime Militia leads Chinese expansion in South China sea

The People’s Armed Forces Maritime Militia (PAFMM) of China owes