China Is Struggling to Reverse Its Birth Rate Crisis, Researchers Say

China's rollout of measures to boost its flagging birth rate remains patchy and inconsistent, a team of researchers has found.

Why It Matters

About two-thirds of the world’s population now lives in regions where the total fertility rate (TFR) is below the 2.1 births per woman needed to sustain a population naturally. China’ s rate is among the world’s lowest—hovering near 1.0—and last year, deaths outnumbered births for the third consecutive year, despite a raft of policies introduced to encourage larger families.

The demographic shift is expected to have major consequences in the coming decades , including a shrinking workforce, lower productivity, and a growing strain on social safety nets as fewer workers support a rapidly expanding population of retirees.

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