China has recorded its third consecutive year of population decline.
- end of 2024 population 1.408 billion, down 1.39 million from the previous year
It's a similar trend more broadly in the region:
- Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong are all seeing falling birth rates
- Japan's population fall began in 2021
Limited immigration policies make it harder for China to counteract demographic decline.
The decline poses risks to China’s workforce, economic growth, and social stability. China's National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) just today pointed to insufficient domestic demand. Which is not news and the falling population is not helping.
