大象传媒

China's population has declined for a second consecutive year.

Data released on Wednesday showed a population of 1.409 billion at the end of 2023, a 2.08 million decrease from 2022.

Beijing said the birth rate was now down to 6.39 per 1,000 people on par with other advanced East Asian nations such as Japan and South Korea.

The country has seen falling birth rates for decades, after imposing a controversial one child-policy in the 1980s to control over-population at the time.

The government lifted the policy in 2015 to try to stem the population fall and has brought in a series of other incentives, such as subsidies to encourage people to start families. In 2021, it further relaxed the limit to allow couples to have up to three children.

Leta Hong Fincher is author of Leftover Women: The Resurgence of Gender Inequality in China. She told Newsday that the term 鈥渓eftover women鈥� originated in China in 2007: 鈥淭he official definition from the government was a woman who鈥檚 27 years old or older, educated, and single鈥�it was pretty effective for a while鈥�but since then attitudes have really changed a lot鈥�women are just completely ignoring that propaganda.鈥�

She says those particularly impacted are 鈥渢hose who鈥檝e gone to college鈥� as they are 鈥渋ncreasingly aware of the need to stand up for their rights鈥�.

But she adds: 鈥淭he pressure to marry is still extremely intense and particularly difficult for women to deal with when that pressure comes from their family鈥�.

(Picture: Shows Chinese newborn twins crying. Credit: Getty Images.)

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