A man pulls a child past a Lunar New Year decoration on display at the Qianmen pedestrian shopping street, a popular tourist spot in Beijing, Jan. 17, 2023. (AP)

 
China Update

China records 1st population fall in decades as births drop

China's population shrank for the first time in decades last year as its birthrate plunged, official figures showed Tuesday, adding to pressure on leaders to keep the economy growing despite an aging workforce and at a time of rising tension with the U.S.

NewsGram Desk

China's population shrank for the first time in decades last year as its birthrate plunged, official figures showed Tuesday, adding to pressure on leaders to keep the economy growing despite an aging workforce and at a time of rising tension with the U.S.

Despite the official numbers, some experts believe China's population has been in decline for a few years — a dramatic turn in a country that once sought to control such growth through a one-child policy.

Many wealthy countries are struggling with how to respond to aging workforces, which can be a drag on economic growth, but some experts said the demographic change will be especially difficult to manage in an developing economy like China's.

"China has become older before it has become rich," said Yi Fuxian, a demographer and expert on Chinese population trends at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

The National Bureau of Statistics reported Tuesday that the country had 850,000 fewer people at the end of 2022 than the previous year. The tally includes only the population of mainland China, excluding Hong Kong and Macao as well as foreign residents. (SJ/VOA)

In the ‘Wild West’ of AI Chatbots, Subtle Biases Related to Race and Caste Often Go Unchecked

Future of Education with Neuro-Symbolic AI Agents in Self-Improving Adaptive Instructional Systems

Lower turkey costs set table for cheaper US Thanksgiving feast this year

Suicide bombing kills 12 Pakistan soldiers

Dark energy pushing our universe apart may not be what it seems, scientists say