China's population has declined for the first time since 1961 China's population has declined for the first time in 60 years, with t...

China's population has declined for the first time since 1961

China's population has declined for the first time in 60 years, with the country's fertility rate hitting a record low - 6.77 children per 1,000 women.

The population in 2022 was 1.4118 billion and has decreased by 850,000 from 2021.

The birth rate in China has been declining for years, prompting many policies to slow the trend.

But seven years after scrapping the one-child policy, it has entered what one official described as "an era of negative population growth".

The birth rate in 2022 also dropped from 7.52 in 2021, according to China's National Bureau of Statistics, which released the figures on Tuesday.

Deaths also exceeded births for the first time last year - China hit its highest death rate since 1976 - 7.37 deaths per 1,000 people, up from 7.18 the previous year.