The proportion of people over 65 has exceeded the number of children in China for the first time since 1949

In the People's Republic of China (PRC), the number of citizens over the age of 65 has exceeded the number of children under the age of 14 for the first time in the history of demographic observations since 1949. This was reported on May 26 by the South China Morning Post (SCMP) newspaper, citing a survey conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics.

"By November last year, 15.87% of China's estimated 1.4 billion people were aged 65 and over, compared with 15.25% aged 0 to 14 years," the material says.

These results were obtained on the basis of a random check that covered more than 20 million people in November last year. Such studies are conducted in between national population censuses, which are regularly organized once a decade. China's seventh national population census was held in 2020.

Statistics also confirmed the decline in the number of able-bodied people. Citizens aged 15 to 59 now account for 61.89% of the country's residents, compared with 67.33% 10 years ago.

Demographic expert He Yafu, in an interview with the publication, explained that such changes may indicate a crisis in the traditional Chinese model of caring for the elderly based on family ties. In addition, the burden on the pension payment system is growing in the country.

On May 10, Bloomberg reported a sharp drop in the number of registered marriages in China. The data obtained by the Ministry of Civil Administration of the People's Republic of China showed the lowest three-month figure in the years of observation, including the times of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Representatives of the State Statistical Office (GSO) On January 19, China announced that the country's population had decreased by 3.39 million people over the past year. According to their study, the number of births amounted to 7.92 million people, and deaths - 11.31 million people.