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.

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 November of 2025.

CN: Population: Birth Rate: Qinghai data was reported at 1.011 % in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 0.925 % for 2023. CN: Population: Birth Rate: Qinghai data is updated yearly, averaging 1.494 % from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2024, with 35 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2.434 % in 1990 and a record low of 0.925 % in 2023. CN: Population: Birth Rate: Qinghai 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, 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.

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.

Actual value and historical data chart for China Birth Rate Crude Per 1 000 People

Actual value and historical data chart for China Adolescent Fertility Rate Births Per 1 000 Women Ages 15 19

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Population: Usual Residence: Birth Rate: Shanghai data was reported at 4.750 ‰ in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 3.950 ‰ for 2023. Population: Usual Residence: Birth Rate: Shanghai data is updated yearly, averaging 7.520 ‰ from Dec 2008 (Median) to 2024, with 15 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 9.560 ‰ in 2012 and a record low of 3.950 ‰ in 2023. Population: Usual Residence: Birth Rate: Shanghai data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Shanghai 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.

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.

Population: Birth Rate: Guangdong data was reported at 0.889 % in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 0.812 % for 2023. Population: Birth Rate: Guangdong data is updated yearly, averaging 1.254 % from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2024, with 35 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2.226 % in 1990 and a record low of 0.812 % in 2023. Population: Birth Rate: Guangdong 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 2023, the birth rate across different regions in China varied from around 13.7 births per 1,000 inhabitants (per mille) in Tibet to 2.9 per mille in Heilongjiang province. The average national birth rate ranged at 6.4 per mille that year. High disparity of birth rates across China Regional birth rates in China reach their highest values in western and southwestern provinces and autonomous regions. In this part of the country, the economy is less developed than in the coastal provinces and traditional values are more prevalent. At the same time, many people from minority communities live in these areas, who were less affected by strict birth control measures in the past and traditionally have more children. In contrast, the lowest birth rates in recent years were registered in the northwestern provinces Jilin, Liaoning, and Heilongjiang, which is the rust belt of China. This region offers few economic opportunities, and many young people leave for a better life in the eastern provinces. They often leave old people behind, which is one reason why these provinces also have some of the highest mortality rates in China. Future developments As most Chinese regions with a higher fertility rate have only few inhabitants, they cannot compensate for the increasing number of provinces with a declining populace. In the future, only economically successful cites will be able to escape this trend, while many provinces and rural areas will slowly lose a significant share of their population.

The average for 2022 based on 196 countries was 18.19 births per 1000 people. The highest value was in the Central African Republic: 45.42 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 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Population: Birth Rate: Inner Mongolia data was reported at 0.552 % in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 0.500 % for 2023. Population: Birth Rate: Inner Mongolia data is updated yearly, averaging 0.957 % from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2024, with 35 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2.119 % in 1990 and a record low of 0.500 % in 2023. Population: Birth Rate: Inner Mongolia 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.

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.