China records lowest birth rate since 1949 as population crisis deepens

China’s birth rate has fallen to a record low, the lowest since 1949, and its population declined for a fourth consecutive year in 2025.

According to China’s National Bureau of Statistics, China’s population declined at a faster pace in 2025 as compared to 2024. It dropped by 339 million to 1.405 billion.

The country recorded only 7.92 million births, its lowest in decades, as compared to 11.31 million deaths in 2025.

China is facing an aging population crisis, with a large portion of its workforce nearing retirement, putting more burden on already stretched pension budgets.

China’s population is shrinking since 2022, while both marriage rate and birth rate have dropped to record lows, despite the abolishing the One Child Policy nearly a decade ago in 2016.

According to the statistics released on Monday, the number of couples who registered for marriage also dropped to 6.1 million in 2024, down from 7.68 million in 2023.

China has adopted various policies to boost marriages, a leading indicator of birth rate. Authorities allowed couples to marry anywhere in the country instead of their places of residence.

Tech billionaire Elon Musk reacted to the latest figures, stating: “Restoring birth rates to replacement level should be top priority for all countries.”