WSJ predicted a demographic crisis in China by 2035

China's population began to decline in 2022, in connection with which experts have suggested that by 2035 the demographic situation in the whole country will be the same as it is now in the city of Fushun, where a third of the population is elderly people over 60 years old. This was reported by The Wall Street Journal.

According to experts, a similar demographic situation may soon be observed throughout China.

"Signs of aging are everywhere. Ads for cemeteries hang on bus stops. Cabs advertise dental implants," reads the Dec. 9 publication.

WSJ writes that Fushun was one of the first cities to restrict births, even before the widespread introduction of the one-family-one-child policy.

Right now, the city's birth rate per woman is 0.7. Meanwhile, 2.1 is the average rate needed to sustain a stable population.

In July, it was reported that China's population may halve by 2100 due to the one-family-one-child policy. The Wall Street Journal, citing the United Nations, then noted that China's population would drop from 1.4 billion to 639 million by 2100. According to researchers, a sharp decline in population will begin by 2040.

It is specified that in China at the moment there is a gender imbalance and aging of the population. This problem was caused by the policy "one family - one child" introduced in China in the late 1970s, under which families in cities were allowed to have only one child, and in villages - two, if the first child is a girl. Thus, according to China's 2020 census, men outnumber women by 34.9 million.