Beijing Population Drops for First Time Since 2003

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Official data released on Tuesday (Mar 21) shows Beijing's death rate in 2022 surpassed the city's birth rate, causing the city's natural population growth rate to hit negative figures for the first time since 2003, according to a report from Reuters.
The figures, released by the municipal government, show the death rate in the city of 21.84 million (in terms of metro area population) has risen to 5.72 deaths per 1,000 people while the birth rate has dropped to 5.67 births per 1,000 people.
Beijing’s population drop is similar to what’s happening across China. Last year, the country’s population fell for the first time in 60 years. High living costs in big, busy cities like Beijing are part of the problem, as well as changing attitudes towards having children, the Reuters report continues.Last year, Beijing’s natural population growth was negative, with a decline of 0.05 per 1,000 people, according to the data collected through a survey that started on Nov 1, 2022. Meanwhile, China’s birth rate last year was at its lowest ever recorded, with only 6.77 births per 1,000 people. On the other hand, the country’s death rate was at its highest since 1974, with 7.37 deaths per 1,000 people.
China’s current demographic situation has been impacted by its previous one-child policy, which was enforced from 1980 to 2015. The government has since increased the limit to three children as of 2021. However, even during the pandemic, couples have been hesitant to have children, which has further heightened the declining birth rate in the country.
In response to the declining population in China, Reuters says political advisors to the government have proposed over 20 suggestions to increase the birth rate.

During top meetings this month, various proposals were made to increase the country's birth rate, including extending subsidies to families raising their first child, rather than just the second and third, expanding free public education, and improving access to fertility treatments.

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One official proposed a motion to limit the work hours of young people to eight hours per day. The objective of this proposal is to ensure that people are not overworked and have enough time to focus on personal commitments such as building relationships, getting married, and starting a family.
“Providing incentives for having the first child could motivate couples to have at least one child”, they said. “Currently, several provinces in the country only provide subsidies for the second and third children, which may discourage couples from having their first child.”
In an effort to ease the burden on young families, the National Health Commission (NHC) also released a set of draft regulations last Wednesday. These rules would enable eligible individuals to operate day care facilities for a maximum of five children up to three years of age.

As China's birth rate continues to decline and its population ages, the country is facing a major demographic crisis. In Beijing, proposals include extending subsidies to families raising their first child, improving access to fertility treatments, and limiting work hours aim to give young people more time for personal commitments.

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Images: Unsplash

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