China Hits Lowest Birth Rate Since Communist Revolution of 1949

The Chinese government on Monday released its latest round of dismal demographic data, revealing birth rates have hit their lowest level since the Communist revolution of 1949, and the population is still declining despite years of expensive efforts to convince more couples to have children.

China’s population at the end of 2025 was 1.404 billion, a net decline of about three million from 2024. The birth rate sank to 5.63 per 1,000 people, the lowest level on record. Only 7.92 million children were born last year, down 17 percent from last year, when a slight increase in births was caused by favorable Chinese Zodiac signs, plus a rash of weddings delayed by the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic.

2025 was the Year of the Snake,