China's Population Crisis: A Demographic Time Bomb

China's population continues to decline, marking its fourth consecutive year of shrinkage, primarily due to the long-term effects of the one-child policy. Despite policy adjustments, birth rates remain low, and challenges include an aging population and economic pressures. Experts call for stronger domestic reforms to counteract these trends.

China faces an unprecedented demographic challenge as its population shrank for the fourth consecutive year, with birth rates in 2025 dropping by about 10 million from a decade earlier. The decline is attributed largely to the lingering impacts of the former one-child policy.

National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) revealed a 17% drop in newborns in 2025, with only 7.92 million babies born compared to 9.54 million in 2024. This marks the lowest number of births since records began in 1949, and it follows a trend reported by the United Nations, highlighting India's surpassing China in population in 2023.

The situation prompts an urgent call for substantial policy reforms to address this crisis that threatens to impact China's economy severely. Despite relaxing population controls in recent years and introducing incentives to encourage childbirth, the response has been tepid, reflecting broader economic and social challenges.