Beijing – China’s birth rate fell to a record low last year. According to the statistics office in Beijing, only 5.63 children were born per 1,000 inhabitants. The birth rate thus reached its lowest level since the founding of the People’s Republic in 1949. As a further sign of demographic change, China’s population fell further to almost 1.405 billion at the end of 2025, a decrease of around 3.4 million people compared to the previous year.
