China’s population decline for the first time in more than 60 year

China had 1.41175 billion people at the end of 2022, compared with 1.41260 billion a year earlier. The country also logged its highest death rate since 1976, registering 7.37 deaths per 1,000 people. China is on track to be overtaken by India as the world’s most populous nation. China’s population decline is occurring earlier than the country’s government and the United Nations had projected. Some Chinese people were unsurprised by the announcement, saying the social pressures which were driving the low birthrate still remained. China’s stringent zero-Covid policies that were in place for three years before an abrupt reversal has caused further damage to the nation’s demographic outlook.