China’s Population Falls for Fourth Straight Year to 1.405 Billion, Official Data Shows

China’s population declined for the fourth consecutive year in 2025, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics. The country’s population stood at 1.405 billion, a decrease of 3.39 million from 2024.

Key Demographic Figures

The statistics office reported 7.92 million births in 2025, equivalent to a birth rate of 5.63 per 1,000 people, down from 9.54 million births and a rate of 6.77 per 1,000 in 2024. Deaths rose to 11.31 million in 2025, producing a mortality rate of 8.04 per 1,000, compared with nearly 11 million deaths and a rate of 7.76 per 1,000 the previous year.

Taken together, these figures imply a negative natural growth of 2.41 per 1,000 people in 2025.

Ageing Population and Trends

The demographic shift toward an older population continues: more than 323.38 million people—about 23% of the total—were aged 60 or older in 2025, and nearly 16% were aged 65 or older. By comparison, in 2024 those aged 60+ accounted for 22% of the population and those aged 65+ were 15.6%.

China’s population decline has been ongoing since 2022, when births hit a then-record low of 6.39 per 1,000.

Implications

These trends—falling births, rising deaths and a rapidly ageing population—present long-term challenges for economic growth, labour supply and social services, and help explain why Chinese policymakers have prioritized measures to encourage childbearing and adapt public services for an ageing society.