China's birth rates sunk to a record low in 2025, despite the government rolling out a spate of incentives to boost it, as the country's population fell for the fourth straight year.
Government data on Monday showed that the country's birth rate fell to 5.63 per 1,000 people – a record low since the Communist Party took power in 1949 – while its death rate rose to 8.04 per 1,000 people, the highest since 1968.
Its population fell 3.39 million to reach 1.4 billion by the end of 2025, marking a quicker decline than the previous year.
Faced with an ageing population and sluggish economy, Beijing has been trying hard to encourage more young people to marry and have children.
