China's population falls for 2nd straight year in 2023

Mainland China saw its population fall for the second straight year in 2023, government data showed Wednesday, with its birthrate hitting a new record low to accelerate the graying of the world's second-largest economy.The population of China, excluding Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao, reached 1,409.67 million by the end of 2023, down 2.08 million from the previous year, a marked increase from the 850,000 decline in 2022.The birthrate fell to 6.39 per 1,000 people, down from 6.77 the year before to hit a new record low since 1949, when Mao Zedong founded the Communist-led country.The number of …READ FULL ARTICLE