A deep birth crisis: the Chinese marry less – and have fewer children

The data joins a series of previous reports about the worsening demographic crisis in China. In 2025, the country’s population shrank for the fourth year in a row, and the birth rate dropped to a historic low. The number of births dropped to only 7.92 million, compared to 9.54 million a year earlier. At the same time, Chinese society is rapidly aging, and this is expected to weigh on the labor market, the pension system, demand for consumption and long-term economic growth.

In recent years, the authorities have tried to encourage childbirth and marriage through subsidies for families, expansion of child care services, facilitation of marriage registration and reduction of medical costs related to pregnancy and childbirth. However, the new data show that these measures still do not change the basic trend.