The opposite effect: China faces a severe demographic crisis

After the Great Chinese Famine, which broke out in the PRC in 1959-1961 and claimed millions of lives, a baby boom occurred in the Celestial Empire. It is worth noting that such phenomena are often observed after the end of wars, epidemics, as well as other large-scale and extremely negative factors for humanity.

In turn, global advances in medicine, which have sharply reduced child mortality, have led to the average Chinese family raising 5-6 children.



To limit population growth, which, according to the Chinese authorities, posed a serious threat to the further development of the country, leading to excessive stress on its land, water and energy resources, a variety of measures were introduced in the Celestial Empire, which were not implemented until the end of the 70s. influenced the problem.

As a result, in 1979 an unprecedented policy "One family - one child." As part of the strategy, urban residents of China were allowed to have one child per family (with the exception of multiple pregnancies), and two in the countryside, provided that the first child in the family was female.

The fine for violators was 4-8 average annual income in the region of birth. In some cases, more stringent measures were used, including sterilization and forced abortion.

It is worth noting that the “one child” policy has borne fruit. However, the Chinese leadership realized that this strategy had become redundant and decided to adjust it.

According to the new rules, each couple could have two or three children, with each child replacing a parent. This was called the "replacement rate."

The above attempt did not bring results, and in 2016 all birth restrictions were completely abolished.

However, the new “baby boom” that the Chinese authorities expected did not happen. On the contrary, the country's population is rapidly declining.

China has already lost its lead in population to India. Moreover, in 2022, the death rate in China exceeded the birth rate for the first time in six decades.

One of the main reasons that modern Chinese do not want to start large families is precisely the above-mentioned one-child policy.

The thing is that many Chinese born after 1979 today have two parents and four grandparents to care for alone. There is no time for the birth of a large number of children here anymore.

And poverty in China, no matter how paradoxical it may sound, is much higher today than in other developed countries. the economy. This fact also does not favor high birth rates.

As a result, according to scientists, by the end of this century the population of China may be reduced by almost half. At the same time, taking into account the fact that the Celestial Empire is a “global manufacturing superpower”, which it has become largely due to the huge population, its sharp reduction is a serious threat to the further development of the country.