News
China’s population falls for third year in a row amid birthrate decline
By Francesca Hangeior.
China said on Friday its population fell for the third year running in 2024, extending a downward streak after more than six decades of growth as the country faces a rapidly ageing population and persistently low birth rates.
Once the world’s most populous country, China was overtaken by India in 2023, with Beijing seeking to boost falling birth rates through subsidies and pro-fertility propaganda.
The population stood at 1.408 billion by the end of the year, Beijing’s National Bureau of Statistics said, down from 1.410 billion in 2023.
The decline was less sharp than the previous year, when it was more than double the fall reported for 2022, data showed.
China ended its strict “one-child policy”, imposed in the 1980s over overpopulation fears, in 2016 and started letting couples have three children in 2021.
But that has failed to reverse the demographic decline for a country that has long relied on its vast workforce as a driver of economic growth.
Many say falling birth rates are due to the soaring cost of living, as well as the growing number of women going into the workforce and seeking higher education.
Population decline is likely to continue due to gloomy economic prospects for young people and as Chinese women “confront entrenched labour market gender discriminations”, Yun Zhou, a sociologist at the University of Michigan, told AFP.
People over 60 are expected to make up nearly a third of China’s population by 2035, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit, a research group.
Data released on Friday showed that the population aged 60 and over reached 310.31 million — just a few percentage points short of a quarter of the country and an increase from nearly 297 million recorded in 2023.
However, the data also showed China’s birth rate — among the lowest in the world — ticked up slightly from the previous year to 6.77 per 1,000 people.
“This uptick is unlikely to last, as the population of childbearing-age women is projected to decline sharply in the coming decades,” said Zhao Litao, a senior research fellow at the National University of Singapore’s East Asian Institute.
“In the long term, the trends of declining births, overall population contraction, and rapid ageing remain unchanged.”
He Yafu, an independent demographer in China, put the uptick in births down to women who deferred having children during the Covid-19 pandemic giving birth. There was also an increase in marriages in 2023 and 2024, the auspicious Year of the Dragon.
However, “the general trend of total population decline won’t change”, He told newsmen.
“Unless strong policies to encourage childbirth are introduced… the proportion of the elderly population will continue to rise.”
Officials said in September they would gradually raise the statutory retirement age, which was set at 60 and among the lowest in the world. It had not been raised for decades.
China’s previous retirement age was set at a time of widespread scarcity and impoverishment, before market reforms brought comparative wealth and rapid improvements in nutrition, health and living conditions.
The world’s second-largest economy now has to contend with slowing growth, while a fast-greying population and a baby bust have piled pressure on pension and public health systems.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has disclaimed a purported recruitment announcement for the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC), warning the public against falling victim to fraudulent schemes.
In a statement released on its official X handle (formerly Twitter) on Friday evening, the oil company clarified that no separate recruitment process was ongoing for PHRC beyond the one initiated in 2024.
The statement, titled “NNPC Ltd Disclaims Purported Recruitment Announcement for PHRC,” was signed by the Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye.
“The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) has urged members of the public to discountenance purported recruitment announcement for the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC) circulating in certain online platforms,” the statement read.
NNPC Ltd further explained that its recruitment process, which commenced last year, covered all its subsidiaries, including PHRC. The company noted that candidates who passed the Computer-Based Aptitude Test were proceeding to the interview stage.
“The purported recruitment link being circulated in various online platforms is the handiwork of fraudsters who are keen on taking advantage of the newly revamped Port Harcourt Refinery to fleece unsuspecting members of the public with a phantom recruitment announcement. We, therefore, call on members of the public to be wary of the ploy and not fall for it,” the statement warned.
The Adamawa State Muslims Pilgrims Welfare Commission has disbursed N61,080 to each of the 2023 pilgrims from the state over poor services rendered to them by the service providers while in Saudi Arabia.
The executive secretary of the pilgrims commission, Malam Abubakar Salihu, disbursed the refunded money, saying it was a step of accountability.
The disbursement was paid into the account of the pilgrims or, for those without account numbers, through the local government schedule officers of the 21 local governments of the state.
Responding on behalf of the beneficiaries, Alhaji Shuaibu Musa Mele appreciated the commission for ensuring that each pilgrim gets his rightful refund.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia had earlier refunded money through the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, for sharing among the 36 states of the country.
A school building in Fakai village, reportedly used as a food storage facility by the notorious bandit leader Bello Turji, has been destroyed.
The facility, which had been stocked with large quantities of food supplies, was completely razed, leaving the structure in ruins.
According to local sources, the school was repurposed by the bandits to support their operations in the region.
It served as a key logistical hub for storing essential supplies, ensuring the group’s ability to sustain its activities over time.
The destruction of the stockpile is seen as a major setback for Bello Turji’s network. By eliminating a critical resource hub, the operation is expected to disrupt the group’s supply chain and hinder their ability to operate effectively in the area.
Counter-terrorism expert Zagazola Makama reported that the incident underscores ongoing efforts to counter the influence and operations of bandit groups in the region.
Residents of Fakai village and surrounding areas hope this effort signals further strides toward restoring peace and security.
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