China records slowest population growth in last decade

Beijing : The census data on Tuesday showed that China has registered slowest population growth in last decade.

With 5.4 percent growth in population in the last decade, China fears demographic crisis amid an ageing society and slowing birthrates. With more elder people, the number of working-age citizens is also sharply decreasing in the nation.

The growth rate was the slowest since the 1960s, according to official data.

In 2016, China has updated its family planning policy and allowed only two kids per family. But it looks like the nation would require a baby boom to balance the working population ratio.

"The adjustment of China's fertility policy has achieved positive results," said Ning Jizhe, an official from the National Bureau of Statistics.

But he added that the "ageing of the population imposed continued pressure on the long-term balanced development of the population in the coming period."

The number of people aged between 15 and 59 population dropped nearly seven percent, while those aged over 60 was up more than five percent.

Since 2017, China has been registering a constant decline in the birth rate.

The primary reasons behind the decline are falling marriage rates in recent years, high cost of child's education, as well as women naturally delaying or avoiding childbirth due to their growing empowerment.

The average size of a family is now 2.62 people, the data showed, down from 3.10 people ten years ago.

"The family households continued to downsize because of increasing population mobility and the fact that young people after marriages lived separately from parents with improved housing conditions," said Ning.