Difficulty: Challenger (Level 2)
China’s population fell for a fourth consecutive year in 2025. It dropped by 339 million to 1.405 billion, according to official data. The decline was quicker than the drop in 2024.
For decades, a government policy stopped people from having more than one baby. The limit was raised to two children in 2015. Then, with added pressure, the government increased the limit to three children in 2021.
But the total number of births in China dropped to 7.92 million in 2025. This was its lowest in decades. There were 9.54 million births in 2024.
Most families say the costs and pressure of raising a child in a highly competitive society are the biggest reasons for not having a baby.
Marriages in China are also on a decline. They plunged by a fifth in 2024, the biggest drop on record. A potential way to increase marriages is to make the process easier. China now allows couples to get married anywhere in the country, instead of only where they reside.
