China's population has hit rock bottom, with a historic low of 9.02 million births recorded in 2025, according to the country's official statistics bureau. This marked a drastic decline from the 11.99 birth rate per 1,000 people in 2015, when authorities lifted their decades-long One-Child Policy.
The recent uptick in births, which was seen last year as partly due to the auspicious Year of the Dragon and China's post-pandemic reopening, appears to have been a fleeting phenomenon. Pro-natal measures implemented by the central and local governments, including cash incentives for couples and relaxed family planning policies, seem to have had little effect.
The latest decline marks the seventh consecutive year of a downward trend in births, suggesting that many Chinese families are choosing to delay or forego having children altogether. While some may attribute this shift to factors such as urbanization, changing social norms, or financial pressures, others point to more structural issues, including aging populations and concerns about the sustainability of China's pension system.
The data suggests that the country is facing a demographic crisis, with significant implications for the workforce, economy, and social security system. Experts warn that if birth rates continue to decline, China may struggle to support its growing elderly population and maintain economic growth in the coming decades.
As the situation continues to unfold, officials are remaining tight-lipped on the issue, and it remains to be seen how China will respond to this demographic shift.
The recent uptick in births, which was seen last year as partly due to the auspicious Year of the Dragon and China's post-pandemic reopening, appears to have been a fleeting phenomenon. Pro-natal measures implemented by the central and local governments, including cash incentives for couples and relaxed family planning policies, seem to have had little effect.
The latest decline marks the seventh consecutive year of a downward trend in births, suggesting that many Chinese families are choosing to delay or forego having children altogether. While some may attribute this shift to factors such as urbanization, changing social norms, or financial pressures, others point to more structural issues, including aging populations and concerns about the sustainability of China's pension system.
The data suggests that the country is facing a demographic crisis, with significant implications for the workforce, economy, and social security system. Experts warn that if birth rates continue to decline, China may struggle to support its growing elderly population and maintain economic growth in the coming decades.
As the situation continues to unfold, officials are remaining tight-lipped on the issue, and it remains to be seen how China will respond to this demographic shift.
I've got a feeling that this decline is gonna have major ripple effects on China's economy & social security system 
The pension system is already facing huge pressure due to the aging population, so if birth rates keep dropping it's like putting more weight on an already fragile scale 
. And with all these families delaying or skipping having kids, it's gonna take a toll on the workforce too - think of all those experienced workers who aren't getting replaced because they don't want to have kids 
The government's trying to pro-natal policies, but honestly I think it's just too little, too late 
. This demographic crisis is real, and China needs to take drastic measures to address it ASAP 
9.02 million births? that's like a record low! what's going on in china people are having like 2 kids max or something 
and now they're talking about pension system and economy... it's like they're playing with fire 
. I mean, 9 million births in 2025? That's crazy low! 
They're trying all these pro-natal measures and cash incentives, but it's just not working 
. It's like the whole country is saying, "No thanks" to having kids 
. I think there are some deeper issues at play here, like aging populations and pension system concerns 
. If birth rates keep dropping, China's gonna struggle to support its elderly population and economy growth 
It's like, you need a workforce to grow, but if people aren't having kids, that's gonna be a problem 
.
Didn't seem to do much, huh? 
!
. Like, who needs more people when you've got robots taking over all the jobs? It's about time we start thinking about the future of our planet and its resources instead of just churning out more humans like they're going out of style. And let's be real, 9 million people is a pretty chill number – I bet it'll be way easier to take care of them than all those extra mouths to feed 
i mean i was expecting some kind of rebound after all that hype last year but nope, it looks like people are still choosing not to have kids. and with the pension system being a thing of concern, its gonna be even bigger problem in the future. my cousin's friend has two kids already and she's talking about how they're basically paying her to not have another one lol, that's just crazy... what's gonna happen to china's workforce?