DNA Exclusive: How China's population drop could pose economic challenges

In today's DNA, Zee News' Rohit Ranjan will talk about the significance of China's declining population and its effect on the country's economy.

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New Delhi: India may have surpassed China as the world's most populous country, according to a report by the World Population Review. The report claims that by the end of 2022, India's population was 1417 million, which is 50 million more than China's population. This is a significant shift as China has long been considered the most populous country in the world.

In today's DNA, Zee News' Rohit Ranjan will talk about the significance of China's declining population and India overtaking it as the most populous country. More specifically, today's DNA will explore the economic challenges that will emerge as China sees a population drop.

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China is now facing a different kind of problem - premature aging. The figures released by China's National Bureau of Statistics show that by the end of 2021, China's population was 141 crore 26 lakh, but by the end of 2022, it has come down to 141 crore 17 lakh 50,000 thousand, a decline of 8,50,000 in just one year. This is the fastest decline in China's population in the last 60 years.

The declining population is giving rise to a new problem in China, a decline in young people and an increase in the number of elderly people. By the end of 2030, a quarter of China's population will be over 60 years old. This aging population is a disaster for China's economy, which is already struggling due to the zero Covid policy and a GDP growth rate of just 3% in 2022, compared to 8.1% in 2021.

China's one-child policy, implemented in 1979, is responsible for this decline. The policy resulted in forced sterilization and abortions, with the result that about 400 million children could not be born. The policy was abolished in 2016, but the damage has already been done.