China’s Population Shrinks for Second Year With Record Low Birthrate

What’s new: China’s population declined for a second straight year in 2023 as its birthrate hit a new low, according to latest data released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Wednesday.

The Chinese mainland had 1.41 billion people at the end of last year, down 2.08 million from 2022, when it logged its first population drop in 60 years, Kang Yi, head of the bureau, said at a press conference. The count excludes residents of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan living on the mainland, as well as foreign nationals.