China’s population shrinks again as incentives fail to boost birth rate
- China is grappling with a persistent population decline, with its total population shrinking for the fourth consecutive year to 1.404 billion in 2025.
- The number of new births in China fell significantly to 7.92 million in 2025, a 17% decrease from the previous year, continuing a long-term downward trend.
- Chinese authorities have introduced various incentives, including cash subsidies for families and controversial measures such as taxing condoms, to encourage more births.
- Despite these efforts and the abandonment of the one-child policy, the initiatives have not reversed the demographic trend, with the fertility rate estimated to be around 1.
- Families often cite the high costs and pressures of raising children in a competitive society, exacerbated by an economic downturn, as key reasons for having fewer children.