China has fewer people than at the start of 2022, the first decline in population since 1961.
Official figures from China's National Bureau of Statistics released on Tuesday showed mainland China had 850,000 fewer people at the end of 2022 than the previous year.
More than a million fewer babies were born last year and 300,000 more people died. China's population now stands at 1.41 billion.
The bureau reported 9.56 million births in 2022, compared to 10.62 million in 2021. Deaths rose from 10.14 million to 10.41 million.
It was not immediately clear if the population figures were affected by the Covid-19 outbreak that was first detected in the central Chinese city of Wuhan before spreading around the world.
China has been accused by some experts of underreporting deaths from the virus by blaming them on underlying conditions, but no estimates of the actual number of Covid deaths have been published.
Reticence from women to have children may also be a factor. Analysts point to the soaring cost of living — as well as a growing number of women working and seeking higher education — as reasons behind the slowdown.
“Who dares to have kids?” a Shanghai resident in his thirties told Agence France-Presse on Tuesday.
“The unemployment rate is so high, Covid destroyed everything, there's nothing we can do. Next year, we'll have declining growth again.”
China’s population has begun to decline nine to 10 years earlier than Chinese officials predicted and the UN projected, Yi Fuxian, a demographer and expert on Chinese population trends at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told the Associated Press.
“China has become older before it has become rich,” Dr Yi said.
China ended its 1980s one-child policy in 2016, and extended the number of children couples were allowed to have to three in 2021.
Many local authorities have already launched measures to encourage couples to have children.
The southern megacity of Shenzhen, for example, now offers birth bonuses of up to 10,000 yuan (about $1,500) and pays allowances until the child is three years old.
But analysts argue much more needs to be done.
“A comprehensive policy package that covers childbirth, parenting and education is needed to reduce the cost of child-raising,” Xiujian Peng, a researcher at Australia's University of Victoria, told AFP.
“Women's job insecurity after giving birth should be addressed particularly.”
Experts are warning that the decline in population could have knock-on effects on China's economic prospects with a smaller workforce.
The last time China is believed to have experienced a population decline was during the Great Leap Forward, a disastrous drive for collective farming and industrialisation launched by then-leader Mao Zedong at the end of the 1950s that produced a massive famine that killed tens of millions of people.
China’s statistics bureau said the working-age population between 16 and 59 years old totalled 875.56 million, accounting for 62 per cent of the national population, while those aged 65 and older totalled 209.78 million, accounting for 14.9 per cent.
If handled correctly, a declining population does not necessarily translate to a weaker economy, said Stuart Gietel-Basten, professor of social science at Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi.
“It’s a big psychological issue. Probably the biggest,” Dr Gietel-Basten said.
The numbers mean India is drawing closer to becoming the most populous country. India has a population of 1.43 billion with a birth rate of 16.42 for every 1,000 people, while China now has 6.77 per 1,000. The third-most populous country is the US, with 337 million people.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Ultra processed foods
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
Company%20profile
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'Moonshot'
Director: Chris Winterbauer
Stars: Lana Condor and Cole Sprouse
Rating: 3/5
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Teachers' pay - what you need to know
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
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Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5