birth rate
China's birth rate has fallen to the lowest level last year since the founding of the People's Republic of China 70 years ago, which poses a long-term challenge for its government.
The data of the National Bureau of Statistics on Friday showed that the birth rate was 10.48 per thousand, the lowest since 1949. The number of births in 2019 decreased by 580,000, bringing the number of births to 14.65 million.
Many couples in China are reluctant to have children because of the costs of health care and education as well as expensive housing. The abolition of the one-child policy in 2015 did not give a significant boost to the birth rate.
At the same time, divorce rates have reached record levels. During the first nine months of 2019, about 3.1 million filed for divorce, compared to 7.1 million in the same year, according to data from the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
The numbers of elderly people are increasing in the world's most populous country, causing challenges for China's leaders with their pledges to provide health care and pensions amid a slowing economy.
Statistics Office data showed that the total population of China reached 1.4 billion until the end of 2019, up from 1.39 billion the previous year
birth rate
Source: Beijing (Reuters)
