The population of the Chinese capital fell for the first time since 2003, according to data released by Chinese authorities last Wednesday (22). In 2022, Beijing recorded more deaths than births, a result of the high cost of living, spending on education and the one-child policy.
The city's death rate rose to 5.72 deaths per 1,000 people, while the birth rate dropped to 5.67 births per 1,000 people. Demographers claim that this drop follows a natural trend in the country and is influenced by economic and social factors.
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Faced with this reality and fearful of the negative impacts of an aging population, the Chinese Communist Party has made efforts to reverse this process by offering birth incentives.
Legislative changes were implemented to expand access to maternal health and treatments such as in vitro fertilization, in addition to reducing bureaucracy in birth registration and financial incentives for parents. However, these measures still failed to convince adults about the population's economic difficulties and the legacy of the one-child policy.
China's one-child policy was a government policy that ran from 1979 to 2015, limiting the number of children families could have. This policy was created with the aim of controlling the country's population growth and alleviating the medical and social problems arising from the population increase.
The policy was enforced through laws and regulations that punished families with more than one child, with heavy fines, loss of social benefits and restrictions on obtaining employment. Furthermore, the policy has also led to forced adoption, forced abortions and forced sterilization in some areas of the country.
However, Chinese authorities have changed their minds and currently encourage couples to have more than one child, but many Chinese resist. Women especially are reluctant to become mothers due to traditional gender pressures and rigid work culture.
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