China's Population Reaches Peak in 2029
According to the Chinese Academy of Social Studies, a research organisation, the the population of the country will reach its peak in 10 years. By 2029 China will have 1.44 billion people, then the population will start to decline.
By the middle of the 21 century China's population is expected to drop to about 1.3 million, but it will remain the most populous country on earth.
The decline is due to low birth rates and the long term results of the country's one-child policy which lasted for over 40 years. In addition, the population is getting older and older. The total number of over-65-year-olds could reach 25% of the population by 2050.
Population change will also have an impact on economic growth, with 200 million fewer workers . Experts say that the government must act swiftly and introduce new measures to get more people employed.
China's one-child policy was put into effect by the government in the 1970s to curb an exploding population. Couples were fined if they had two children two or more children. In 2016 China finally decided to abandon the policy and allow couples to have two children. However, the number of births has not significantly risen since the new policy became law. Currently the birth rate is at 1.6 per woman.
Because of rising health and education costs, more and more Chinese couples are preferring financial security and wealth to having a larger family.
Related Topics
- China's One Child Policy
- China Plans To Loosen One Child Policy
- The World's Ageing Population
- China Announces the End of One Child Policy
- Chinese Baby Boom in the Year of the Dragon
- China's New Baby Boom
Words
- abandon = to stop doing something
- according to = as said by ...
- billion = a thousand million
- birth rate = the number of babies born per 1,000 people
- curb = control or slow down
- currently = at the moment
- decline = go down
- drop = go down
- due to = because of
- economic growth = the way more and more is produced in a country
- employed = at work
- fine = money that you have to pay as punishment for doing something wrong
- government = the people who rule a country
- impact = effect or influence on something
- in addition = also
- introduce = start a new plan
- measures = action that is intended to deal with a certain problem
- most populous = here: country with the most people
- peak = here: it's highest number
- policy = the way a government has decided to do something or deal with an issue
- prefer = to like something more than other things
- put into effect = here: to become law
- remain = stay
- research = to find out more about a certain subject
- security = here: protection from bad things that may happen
- significantly = very much; in an important way
- swiftly = very fast