The birth rate in China has fallen to a record low – 7.52 births per 1,000 people in 2021, according to the National Bureau of Statistics, according to DPA.
The last time the figure was at this level was in 1978.
According to published data, China’s total population is 1.41 trillion. The number of births fell 11.5 percent to 10.62 million.
The abolition of the one-child policy in the world’s most populous country led to only a slight increase in the birth rate in 2016. The statistical office called the coronavirus pandemic one of the reasons for the decline in the number of newborns.
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However, women’s habits have also changed. Experts have long cited high housing prices, tuition and medical fees, and declining desire to marry as reasons.
Since the 1980s, China has severely restricted the majority of couples to having only one child. This policy was implemented through the threat of fines and job losses, which led to abuses, including forced abortions. The advantage of giving birth to boys forced parents to kill newborn girls, which led to a significant violation of the sex ratio.
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