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China’s population has shrunk for the fourth straight year. Its birth rate has fallen below six, the lowest since records began in 1949, underscoring a dangerous predicament for a country that aspires to be a global superpower. Here’s a look at how China’s decades-long effort to control population growth has reshaped family choices and pushed the country into sustained population decline. (Image: Canva)
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CNBC TV18•22-01-2026, 20:08

China's Population Policies: A Demographic Time Bomb Unveiled

  • •China's population has shrunk for the fourth consecutive year, with the birth rate falling to its lowest since 1949.
  • •Decades of population control, including the one-child policy (1980), reshaped family choices and led to a demographic crisis.
  • •Strict enforcement of the one-child policy in the 1990s resulted in sex-selective abortions and a gender imbalance.
  • •By the early 2000s, falling fertility rates led to rapid aging and labor shortages, with illegal markets for baby girls emerging.
  • •Despite easing to two-child (2015) and three-child (2021) policies, birth numbers continue to decline, signaling a sustained demographic shift.

Why It Matters: China's stringent population policies have led to an irreversible demographic decline and societal challenges.

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