NEW DELHI: The continued low birth rate in recent years in China shows that the damage caused to the population demographic, due to its one-child policy, may be irreversible, according to a media report.
While Beijing has accelerated family-support policies and childcare subsidies, the birth count plummeted to a record low last year -- falling by about 10 million from its 2016 peak, the South China Morning Post reported. China’s population shrank for a fourth consecutive year.
As per the National Bureau of Statistics, in 2025, the country saw only 7.92 million births, down 17 per cent from 9.54 million in 2024.