China's Population Decline: A Looming Crisis

China faces a population decrease for the third year, with deaths surpassing births. Experts predict worsening demographic challenges for the second-largest economy. The one-child policy, urban migration, and rising eldercare costs are contributing factors. A brief marriage surge in 2023 offered only a temporary birth rate rebound.

China's population recorded a continued decline for the third consecutive year in 2024, raising concerns about demographic challenges in the world's second-largest economy.

The National Bureau of Statistics reported a reduction of 1.39 million people to 1.408 billion, exacerbating fears over an aging workforce and increasing eldercare costs.

Factors include the one-child policy, rapid urbanization, and rising costs of having children. A temporary rise in births due to a marriage surge in 2023 is unlikely to reverse the trend, experts warn.