Beijing, Jan 17 (EFE).- China’s population decreased by 2.08 million people in 2023, according to official data published Wednesday by the National Statistics Bureau.
A man walks next to the construction site of a residential building in Beijing, China, 17 January 2024. EFE/EPA/MARK R. CRISTINO
The data represents the second consecutive year of contraction, following 2022’s population drop by 850,000 people, which marked the first decrease since 1961 as a consequence of the failed industrialization policy of the Great Leap Forward.
China closed 2023 with 1.409 billion people, which contrasts with the 1.411 billion in the country at the end of the previous year.
The decrease of 2.08 million represents a drop of 0.14 percent compared to the previous year, and confirms the downward demographic trend that began in 2022 and about which the Chinese authorities have been warning for years.
The Asian giant registered 9.02 million births last year, in contrast to the 9.5 million in 2022 and despite the efforts of both national and local authorities to try to increase birth rates.
Chinese experts predicted last November that the number of births in China would continue to decline in 2023 for the seventh consecutive year, due to a drop in the number of registered marriages in recent years and the rising age of marriages among young Chinese.
According to official data, the number of men in the country exceeds the number of women, with a proportion of 104.49 men for every 100 women. The number of men stood at 720.3 million, while the number of women was 689.4 million.
The NBS figures also reflect an increase in deaths – from 10.41 million to 11.1 million.
Since 2021, the Asian giant has allowed its citizens to have a third child, although the decision has not been received with great enthusiasm by the population, due to both the economic burden of parenting and the priority given to careers.
During the 20th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, held in 2022, the ruling party emphasized that the country needs a system that increases birth rates and reduces the costs of pregnancy, childbirth, schooling and parenting.
Last April, United Nations projections indicated that neighboring India became the most populated country on Earth after surpassing China. EFE
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