China population: Annual births expected to hover around 10 million as nation ages

The annual number of newborns in China will stabilise at around 10 million while the population’s ageing accelerates, a senior researcher and government adviser has said. With more than 70 million estimated to be 80 years or older by 2035, demand for policy support in public services is expected to grow concurrently.

“The declining birth rate and ageing population will accompany the entire process of China’s socialist modernisation development,” said He Dan, director of the China Population And Development Research Centre, a think tank affiliated with the National Health Commission.