China's total fertility rate, or births per woman during her lifetime, is among the lowest in the world, driven by an arduous and competitive work culture, the rising cost of living, workplace discrimination and fears of losing out on career, and changing attitudes among younger generations. And while the fertility rate ticked upward last year, this was driven by the COVID-19 pandemic's delaying effect on births and because 2024 was an auspicious Year of the Dragon.
lørdag 20. desember 2025
China’s Population Crisis—Xi’s Greatest Test in 2026
Chinese President Xi Jinping, who has linked child rearing with national progress, faces the challenge of slowing, if not halting, a looming demographic crunch. Over two-thirds of the world's population now live in countries with fertility rates below the replacement level, or the rate of 2.1 births per woman necessary to sustain a population. And despite the significant amount of resources some governments have thrown at the problem, there have been few success stories so far.
China's total fertility rate, or births per woman during her lifetime, is among the lowest in the world, driven by an arduous and competitive work culture, the rising cost of living, workplace discrimination and fears of losing out on career, and changing attitudes among younger generations. And while the fertility rate ticked upward last year, this was driven by the COVID-19 pandemic's delaying effect on births and because 2024 was an auspicious Year of the Dragon.
China's total fertility rate, or births per woman during her lifetime, is among the lowest in the world, driven by an arduous and competitive work culture, the rising cost of living, workplace discrimination and fears of losing out on career, and changing attitudes among younger generations. And while the fertility rate ticked upward last year, this was driven by the COVID-19 pandemic's delaying effect on births and because 2024 was an auspicious Year of the Dragon.
