China's Birth Rate Declines for 8th Consecutive Year

By Billy Jiang, June 25, 2024

Recent data released by China's National Bureau of Statistics has revealed significant demographic trends across the country for the year 2023, highlighting a notable decline in the birth rate and natural population growth.

According to the latest statistics, China recorded a total of 9.02 million births in 2023, marking a continued decline in births since 2016.

The total number of births in China each year since 2016:

2016: 18.83 million
2017: 17.65 million
2018: 15.23 million
2019: 14.65 million
2020: 12.02 million
2021: 10.62 million
2022: 9.56 million
2023: 9.02 million

The country's natural population growth rate stood at -1.48 per thousand, indicating two consecutive years of negative population growth.

By the end of 2023, China's total population reached 1.40967 billion, showing a decrease of 2.08 million compared to the previous year.

Among the provinces, Guangdong stood out with its population statistics.

According to the Guangdong Provincial Bureau of Statistics, the province recorded 1.03 million births in 2023, marking the fourth consecutive year it has exceeded one million births, and maintaining its status as the leading province in terms of total births for six consecutive years.

Guangdong also reported a birth rate of 8.12 per thousand, ranking among the highest in the country.

Analyzing the data from all 31 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions, 11 regions experienced positive growth in their permanent resident populations in 2023: