In 2024, the average number of children born per 1,000 people in China ranged at ****. The birth rate has dropped considerably since 2016, and the number of births fell below the number of deaths in 2022 for the first time in decades, leading to a negative population growth rate. Recent development of the birth rate Similar to most East-Asian countries and territories, demographics in China today are characterized by a very low fertility rate. As low fertility in the long-term limits economic growth and leads to heavy strains on the pension and health systems, the Chinese government decided to support childbirth by gradually relaxing strict birth control measures, that had been in place for three decades. However, the effect of this policy change was considerably smaller than expected. The birth rate increased from **** births per 1,000 inhabitants in 2010 to ***** births in 2012 and remained on a higher level for a couple of years, but then dropped again to a new low in 2018. This illustrates that other factors constrain the number of births today. These factors are most probably similar to those experienced in other developed countries as well: women preferring career opportunities over maternity, high costs for bringing up children, and changed social norms, to name only the most important ones. Future demographic prospects Between 2020 and 2023, the birth rate in China dropped to formerly unknown lows, most probably influenced by the coronavirus pandemic. As all COVID-19 restrictions were lifted by the end of 2022, births figures showed a catch-up effect in 2024. However, the scope of the rebound might be limited. A population breakdown by five-year age groups indicates that the drop in the number of births is also related to a shrinking number of people with child-bearing age. The age groups between 15 and 29 years today are considerably smaller than those between 30 and 44, leaving less space for the birth rate to increase. This effect is exacerbated by a considerable gender gap within younger age groups in China, with the number of females being much lower than that of males.

In 2024, approximately **** children per 1,000 regular resident population were born in the Shanghai municipality in China. Despite the gradual relaxation of the one-child policy and its final abolition in 2016, the number of births in Shanghai and the birth rate decreased considerably in recent years.

Birth rate, crude (per 1,000 people) in China was reported at 6.39 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. China - Birth rate, crude - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Fertility rate, total (births per woman) in China was reported at 0.999 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. China - Fertility rate, total (births per woman) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

CN: Population: Birth Rate: Jiangsu data was reported at 0.500 % in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 0.481 % for 2023. CN: Population: Birth Rate: Jiangsu data is updated yearly, averaging 0.934 % from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2024, with 35 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2.054 % in 1990 and a record low of 0.481 % in 2023. CN: Population: Birth Rate: Jiangsu data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Socio-Demographic – Table CN.GA: Population: Birth Rate: By Region.

Adolescent fertility rate (births per 1,000 women ages 15-19) in China was reported at 5.227 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. China - Adolescent fertility rate (births per 1,000 women ages 15-19) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

In 2024, approximately **** children per 1,000 regular resident population were born in Beijing municipality in China. Beijing's birth rate was slightly higher than its mortality rate in 2024, resulting in a natural population increase of **** per 1,000 residents.

CN: Population: Birth Rate: Guizhou data was reported at 1.074 % in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 1.065 % for 2023. CN: Population: Birth Rate: Guizhou data is updated yearly, averaging 1.397 % from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2024, with 35 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2.309 % in 1990 and a record low of 1.065 % in 2023. CN: Population: Birth Rate: Guizhou data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Socio-Demographic – Table CN.GA: Population: Birth Rate: By Region.

Population: Birth Rate: Beijing data was reported at 0.609 % in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 0.563 % for 2023. Population: Birth Rate: Beijing data is updated yearly, averaging 0.792 % from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2024, with 35 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.301 % in 1990 and a record low of 0.510 % in 2003. Population: Birth Rate: Beijing data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Socio-Demographic – Table CN.GA: Population: Birth Rate: By Region.

In 2024, around **** million babies were born in China. The number of births has increased slightly from **** million in the previous year, but is much lower than the ***** million births recorded in 2016. Demographic development in China In 2022, the Chinese population decreased for the first time in decades, and population decline is expected to accelerate in the upcoming years. To curb the negative effects of an aging population, the Chinese government decided in 2013 to gradually relax the so called one-child-policy, which had been in effect since 1979. From 2016 onwards, parents in China were allowed to have two children in general. However, as the recent figures of births per year reveal, this policy change had only short-term effects on the general birth rate: the number of births slightly increased from 2014 onwards, but then started to fell again in 2018. In 2024, China was the second most populous country in the world, overtaken by India that year. China’s aging population The Chinese society is aging rapidly and facing a serious demographic shift towards older age groups. The median age of China’s population has increased massively from about ** years in 1970 to **** years in 2020 and is projected to rise continuously until 2080. In 2020, approximately **** percent of the Chinese were 60 years and older, a figure that is forecast to rise as high as ** percent by 2060. This shift in demographic development will increase social and elderly support expenditure of the society as a whole. One measure for this social imbalance is the old-age dependency ratio, measuring the relationship between economic dependent older age groups and the working-age population. The old-age dependency ratio in China is expected to soar to ** percent in 2060, implying that by then three working-age persons will have to support two elderly persons.

In 2024, approximately **** children per 1,000 regular resident population were born in Zhejiang province in China. The gradual relaxation of the one-child policy and its final abolition in 2016 did only have a moderate effect on the birth rate in Zhejiang. The negative effects of the coronavirus pandemic and the following economic downturn on the birth rate, however, are very obvious in the case of Zhejiang.

Population: Birth Rate: Shanghai data was reported at 0.475 % in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 0.395 % for 2023. Population: Birth Rate: Shanghai data is updated yearly, averaging 0.697 % from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2024, with 35 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.031 % in 1990 and a record low of 0.395 % in 2023. Population: Birth Rate: Shanghai data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Socio-Demographic – Table CN.GA: Population: Birth Rate: By Region.

For most of the past two centuries, falling birth rates have been associated with societal progress. During the demographic transition, where pre-industrial societies modernize in terms of fertility and mortality, falling death rates, especially among infants and children, are the first major change. In response, as more children survive into adulthood, women have fewer children as the need to compensate for child mortality declines. This transition has happened at different times across the world and is an ongoing process, with early industrial countries being the first to transition, and Sub-Saharan African countries being the most recent to do so. Additionally, some Asian countries (particularly China through government policy) have gone through their demographic transitions at a much faster pace than those deemed more developed. Today, in countries such as Japan, Italy, and Germany, birth rates have fallen well below death rates; this is no longer considered a positive demographic trend, as it leads to natural population decline, and may create an over-aged population that could place a burden on healthcare systems.

In 2024, approximately **** children were born per 1,000 permanent residents in Guangdong province, China. The relaxation of the one-child policy and its final abolition in 2016 had a positive effect on the number of births in Guangdong. However, figures since 2020 indicate that the birth rate has fallen below previous levels.

Population: Birth Rate: Sichuan data was reported at 0.641 % in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 0.632 % for 2023. Population: Birth Rate: Sichuan data is updated yearly, averaging 1.030 % from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2024, with 35 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.911 % in 1990 and a record low of 0.632 % in 2023. Population: Birth Rate: Sichuan data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Socio-Demographic – Table CN.GA: Population: Birth Rate: By Region.

Population: Usual Residence: Birth Rate: Zhejiang: Hangzhou data was reported at 7.500 ‰ in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 6.700 ‰ for 2023. Population: Usual Residence: Birth Rate: Zhejiang: Hangzhou data is updated yearly, averaging 9.090 ‰ from Dec 2010 (Median) to 2024, with 15 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 12.500 ‰ in 2017 and a record low of 6.700 ‰ in 2023. Population: Usual Residence: Birth Rate: Zhejiang: Hangzhou data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Hangzhou Municipal Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Socio-Demographic – Table CN.GE: Population: Prefecture Level City: Usual Residence: Natural Growth Rate.

The average for 2022 based on 195 countries was 18.38 births per 1000 people. The highest value was in Niger: 45.03 births per 1000 people and the lowest value was in Hong Kong: 4.4 births per 1000 people. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2022. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

In 2024, the mortality rate in China ranged at approximately 7.76 deaths per 1,000 inhabitants. The mortality rate in China displayed an uneven development over the last two decades. This is mainly related to the very uneven sizes of Chinese age groups, improvements in health care, and the occurrence of epidemics. However, an overall growing trend is undisputable and related to China's aging population. As the share of the population aged 60 and above will be growing significantly over the upcoming two decades, the mortality rate will further increase in the years ahead. Population in China China was the second most populous country in the world in 2024. However, due to several mechanisms put into place by the Chinese government as well as changing circumstances in the working and social environment of the Chinese people, population growth has subsided over the past decades and finally turned negative in 2022. The major factor for this development was a set of policies introduced by the Chinese government in 1979, including the so-called one-child policy, which was intended to improve people’s living standards by limiting the population growth. However, with the decreasing birth rate and slower population growth, China nowadays is facing the problems of a rapidly aging population. Birth control in China According to the one-child policy, a married couple was only allowed to have one child. Only under certain circumstances were parents allowed to have a second child. As the performance of family control had long been related to the assessment of local government’s achievements, violations of the rule were severely punished. The birth control in China led to a decreasing birth rate and a more skewed gender ratio of new births due to a widely preference for male children in the Chinese society. Nowadays, since China’s population is aging rapidly, the one-child policy has been re-considered as an obstacle for the country’s further economic development. Since 2014, the one-child policy has been gradually relaxed and fully eliminated at the end of 2015. In May 2021, a new three-child policy has been introduced. However, many young Chinese people today are not willing to have more children due to high costs of raising a child, especially in urban areas.

The statistic shows the 20 countries with the lowest fertility rates in 2024. All figures are estimates. In 2024, the fertility rate in Taiwan was estimated to be at 1.11 children per woman, making it the lowest fertility rate worldwide. Fertility rate The fertility rate is the average number of children born per woman of child-bearing age in a country. Usually, a woman aged between 15 and 45 is considered to be in her child-bearing years. The fertility rate of a country provides an insight into its economic state, as well as the level of health and education of its population. Developing countries usually have a higher fertility rate due to lack of access to birth control and contraception, and to women usually foregoing a higher education, or even any education at all, in favor of taking care of housework. Many families in poorer countries also need their children to help provide for the family by starting to work early and/or as caretakers for their parents in old age. In developed countries, fertility rates and birth rates are usually much lower, as birth control is easier to obtain and women often choose a career before becoming a mother. Additionally, if the number of women of child-bearing age declines, so does the fertility rate of a country. As can be seen above, countries like Hong Kong are a good example for women leaving the patriarchal structures and focusing on their own career instead of becoming a mother at a young age, causing a decline of the country’s fertility rate. A look at the fertility rate per woman worldwide by income group also shows that women with a low income tend to have more children than those with a high income. The United States are neither among the countries with the lowest, nor among those with the highest fertility rate, by the way. At 2.08 children per woman, the fertility rate in the US has been continuously slightly below the global average of about 2.4 children per woman over the last decade.

In 2024, there were around 719 million male inhabitants and 689 million female inhabitants living in China, amounting to around 1.41 billion people in total. China's total population decreased for the first time in decades in 2022, and population decline is expected to accelerate in the upcoming years. Birth control in China From the beginning of the 1970s on, having many children was no longer encouraged in mainland China. The one-child policy was then introduced in 1979 to control the total size of the Chinese population. According to the one-child policy, a married couple was only allowed to have one child. With the time, modifications were added to the policy, for example parents living in rural areas were allowed to have a second child if the first was a daughter, and most ethnic minorities were excepted from the policy. Population ageing The birth control led to a decreasing birth rate in China and a more skewed gender ratio of new births due to boy preference. Since the negative economic and social effects of an aging population were more and more felt in China, the one-child policy was considered an obstacle for the country’s further economic development. Since 2014, the one-child policy has been gradually relaxed and fully eliminated at the end of 2015. However, many young Chinese people are not willing to have more children due to high costs of raising a child, especially in urban areas.