China’s births fall in 2021, as workforce shrinks

By JOE McDONALD
Associated Press

BEIJING (AP) — The number of babies born in China fell again last year, adding to pressure on the ruling Communist Party’s ambitions to boost national wealth and global influence with a workforce that has been declining for a decade. Official data showed 10.6 million babies were born in 2021. That is down 12% from the 12 million reported earlier for 2020. The total population stood at 1.413 billion at the end of last year, an increase of 480,000 from the previous year. The decline in birth rates has prompted warnings China might face a “demographic time bomb” and have too few workers to support a growing number of elderly people.