China's population aged 65+ has surpassed the number of children under 14 for the first time.
This is a fundamental change in the age pyramid and has long-term consequences for the economy and society.
It is expected that by 2030 the working age population (15-59 years old) will decrease from 870 to 835 million people, which means it will decrease by 7 million people per year.
In 2025, the elderly burden ratio (the ratio between the number of elderly and the working-age population) rose to 23.1%. Simply put, for every 100 people of working age (15-64 years), there are about 23 elderly people (65+) in China who need support.
For China, this figure is growing incredibly fast. In 2000 it was only about 10.1%. For comparison, developed countries like the USA, UK or Germany took 40-70 years to go from an "aging" society to a "deeply aging" society.
This is already putting pressure on economic growth, especially in labor-intensive industries and pension resources. The authorities are thinking about how to adapt the economy to a new reality.
In 2025, the number of newborns in China: 7.92 million people - the lowest since the founding of China (minus 17% from year to year). The population has decreased for the fourth year in a row.
According to experts, the TFR in China will fall below 1.0 in 2026.