China's leading economist has expressed concern over the country's declining population, calling for "urgent response" to tackle it. Ma Jiantang, former party secretary at the Development Research Centre of the State Council, said China is facing a low birth rate, an ageing population, as well as a declining proportion of young people, according to South China Morning Post (SCMP). The comments come months after official government statistics revealed just 9.02 million births in 2023 - only half as many as in 2017.
Factoring in China's 11.1 million deaths in 2023, it means China's population shrank 2.08 million in 2023 after falling 850,000 in 2022 - a loss of about three million in two years.
In a speech in Shenzhen on May 19, Mr Ma said that China's workforce shrank by 60 million over the past 12 years, which had "a huge impact" on the economy, as per the SCMP report.
"The structural changes to China's population will deeply affect the country's economy and required an urgent response," the economist further said in the speech.
Mr Ma called for birth policies to promote assisted reproductive technology, registration of children born out of wedlock, improved birth insurance, extended maternity leave and more childcare centres.
Chinese policymakers are worried about the decline in births in a rapidly ageing population, with President Xi Jinping saying last year it was necessary to "actively cultivate a new culture of marriage and childbearing" for national development.
Many young people, however, are opting to stay single or put off getting married due to poor job prospects, record youth unemployment and chronically low consumer confidence as growth in the world's second largest economy slows.
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