China’s population continues to decline, as the latest data reveals a negative trend in 20 out of the 31 provinces and regions. Among them, the “Four Provinces of Shanhe” have seen a decrease of over 3.7 million people, surpassing the population decline in the three northeastern provinces.
Currently, all 31 provinces in China have released their population data for 2023.
Of the 31 provinces, 20 have shown a decrease in their permanent resident population, including Hebei, Shanxi, Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Anhui, Fujian, Jiangxi, Shandong, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Sichuan, Yunnan, Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, Inner Mongolia, and Guangxi.
The combined population decline in these 20 provinces is 3.7051 million. The most significant decrease is seen in the agricultural powerhouse of Henan, with a loss of 570,000 people last year. Shandong follows with a decrease of 398,200 people, ranking second; Heilongjiang with a decrease of 370,000 people, ranking third; Hebei with a decrease of 270,000; and Shanxi with a decrease of 153,600.
The “Four Provinces of Shanhe” (Shandong, Shanxi, Hebei, Henan) saw a combined decrease of 1.3918 million permanent residents, surpassing the 602,500 population decline in the northeastern three provinces.
Historically, Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning in the northeastern region have been the representatives of China’s population decline. Data indicates that from 2010 to 2020, the total population in the northeast decreased by 10.99 million, including 6.46 million in Heilongjiang, 3.38 million in Jilin, and 1.15 million in Liaoning.
The latest data shows that 11 provinces saw an increase in their permanent resident population in 2023, including Zhejiang, Guangdong, Hainan, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Xinjiang, Guizhou, Beijing, Tianjin, Ningxia, and Tibet.
The combined population growth in these 11 provinces is 1.6025 million. Zhejiang and Guangdong had the highest increase in population last year, totaling 990,000 people.
However, despite the increase in 11 provinces, the overall trend for 2023 shows a population decline of 2.03 million people, indicating a continuing negative growth.
Regarding birth data, 29 out of the 31 provinces have released their birth statistics.
Guangdong, Henan, and Shandong rank as the top three provinces in terms of birth population, with 1.03 million, 695,000, and 610,000 respectively. Sichuan had 529,000 births last year, while Guizhou and Hebei had 411,000 and 410,000 respectively, ranking fifth and sixth.
The data shows that the total number of births in 2023 was 9.02 million, lower than the 9.56 million in 2022, marking the seventh consecutive year of decline.
In 2022, the birth rate was 9.56 million, a decrease of 1.06 million compared to 2021. The birth rate was 6.77‰, a decrease of 0.75 percentage points from 2021.
According to the “2022 China Health and Health Development Statistics Bulletin” published by the National Health Commission of China, the percentage of second-child births accounted for 38.9% in 2022, while third-child and above births accounted for 15%.
Based on this data, in 2022, China had 4.41 million first-child births, 3.72 million second-child births, and 1.43 million third-child and above births (rounded to the nearest whole number).
In the past six years, there has been a 51.3% decrease in the number of first-child births in China.
The Chinese Communist Party’s long-standing one-child policy has led to a significant decline in the birth rate, resulting in a severe demographic imbalance and increasing aging population.
In 2015, the CCP announced the relaxation of the “two-child” policy, followed by allowing three children in 2021, yet the birth rate continues to decline.
Since 2019, the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in China has further exacerbated the population decline.
To address the population crisis, various regions have implemented numerous pro-natal policies and measures, including Shenzhen encouraging women under 49 to have more children. Chengdu provides free pre-pregnancy medication to “women of childbearing age,” including teenage girls, but these efforts have not been effective.
In February last year, the mainland think tank “Yuwa Population Research” released a report stating that various stimulating childbirth measures have not had a significant impact on China’s declining birth rate. It is without a doubt that China will become one of the most severely aging and declining populations in the coming decades.
Over the years, due to the disasters caused by the CCP’s usurpation of power, the accumulated demographic advantages of the Chinese nation over thousands of years have been severely damaged. Now, realizing that the “leeks” (common people) are not enough for exploitation, the CCP is resorting to various means to encourage childbirth. However, many young people are waking up and choosing to “lie flat,” refusing to marry and have children as they don’t want the next generation to be treated like “leeks” and “mineral resources.”