China population drops to 1.405 billion in 2025 as birthrate hits record low

China’s population fell for a fourth consecutive year in 2025, dropping by 3.39 million to 1.405 billion, and its birthrate reached a record low, official data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed. Births fell to 7.92 million in 2025, down 17% from 9.54 million in 2024, while deaths rose to 11.31 million from 10.93 million, putting the birthrate at 5.63 per 1,000 and the death rate at 8.04 per 1,000 — the highest since 1968.

The population has been shrinking since 2022 and is ageing rapidly: over-60s account for about 23% of the population, and the number of people older than 60 is predicted to reach 400 million by 2035. Yi Fuxian, a demographer at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, said births in 2025 were "roughly the same level as in 1738, when China’s population was only about 150 million." China’s total fertility is about one birth per woman, well below the 2.1 replacement rate, and the UN-defined pool of women aged 15–49 is forecast to shrink by more than two-thirds to fewer than 100 million by the end of the century.

Authorities have introduced measures including a national child subsidy, higher retirement ages (men to 63 from 60; women to 58 from 55), and a pledge that from 2026 women will have "no out-of-pocket expenses" during pregnancy with all medical costs, including IVF, reimbursed under the national medical insurance fund.

Key Topics

World, China, Nbs, Fertility Rate, Aging Population, One-child Policy