China’s population falls for a third straight year

The population decline poses challenges for Chinese government and economy, as the country is now facing an ageing population and an emerging shortage of working-age people

TAIPEI: China’s population fell last year for the third straight year, its government said on Friday, pointing to further demographic challenges for the world’s second most populous nation, now facing an aging population and an emerging shortage of working-age people.

China’s population stood at 1.408 billion at the end of 2004, a decline of 1.39 million from the previous year. The figures announced by the government in Beijing follow trends worldwide, but especially in East Asia, where Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and other nations have seen their birth rates plummet.

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China three years ago joined Japan and most of Eastern Europe among other nations whose population is falling. The reasons are similar in many cases: Rising living costs are causing young people to put off or rule out marriage and childbirth while pursuing higher education and careers. While people are living longer, that’s not enough to keep up with the rate of new births.