What China’s Falling Population Means for Its Future

China’s population is shrinking at a pace not seen in decades — a stark reversal for a country long defined by its sheer demographic scale.

After losing its crown as the world’s most populous nation to India in 2023, official figures show that in 2025 China recorded its steepest annual drop in population since the Great Famine of 1960 under Mao Zedong, as falling birthrates and an aging society converge — despite the end of its one-child policy.