China’s population reached the 1.41 billion mark in 2020, according to the census carried out every ten years in the world’s most populous country. Chinese population has grown 5.38% or increased by 72 million since the 2010 survey. This data was released on May 11th.

Although the figure is impressive, this is the smallest growth in China’s population since 1950. According to the 2020 census, India’s population will surpass China’s in six years. China is expected to hit the peak of its population curve in 2027 and will then begin to slow down growth and reach 1.32 billion inhabitants in 2050. In contrast, India has a population of 1.38 billion and an average population growth rate of 1 % per year.

In the early 1950s, China had a population of 540 million. In less than 30 years, its population doubled, reaching one billion in the 1980s. To control this accelerated growth, the Chinese government created a policy to restrict birth to one child per couple.

Those who breached the restriction paid a fine, lost their job, or were given other penalties. In 2016, this policy was suspended, and the government began to encourage each family to have two children. However, this did not increase the birth rate (number of babies born per thousand inhabitants).

The Chinese birth rate has been dropping since 2017. Last year, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, concerns about a child being born in the midst of the crisis further reduced the number of births to 12 million from 14.65 million in 2019, when the birth rate was already at its lowest level since 1949.

The drop occurred for several reasons: a decrease in the number of marriages, an increase in the cost of living (such as housing and education expenses), and women prioritizing their careers and delaying pregnancies.

According to the 2020 census, China has seen an increase in the number of elderly people, with 264 million people aged 60 and over. This corresponds to 18.7% of the population with an increase of 5.44% when compared to 2010. In the zero to 14-year-old age group, there was a small increase of 1.35% with 253 million people, which represents 17.95% of the population.

Population in China *
1953 – 594 million
1964 – 694 million
1982 – 1.008 billion
1990 – 1.133 billion
2000 – 1.2 billion
2010 – 1.33 billion
2020 – 1.411 billion

Source: Chinese government

Questions
1) Which information is correct?
a) The Chinese population gained 72 million inhabitants between 2010 and 2020.
b) The Chinese population decreased by 5.38% last year.
c) India will become the most populous country in the world in 1950.
d) The number of births increased in 2020.

2) What are the reasons for China’s reduced birth rate?

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