Beijing: The Chinese government said on Thursday that the country’s population increased last year. This statement of the government came after news which has predicted a dramatic decline in population. This news may put downward pressure on economic growth.
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) did not provide any details in its one-sentence statement and said population figures would be revealed later. But The Financial Times’ unusual decision to react to the news reflects the political sensitivity of the issue. The Financial Times news said that people aware of China’s 2020 census are expected to see a decline in the country’s population approaching 1.4 billion in 2019, for the first time since 1959-61.
At that time, millions of people were killed due to the drought. The ruling Communist Party has implemented population control rules since 1980, but such a simultaneous decline will reduce the flow of labor in the economy at a time when the country is trying to increase development and remove poverty. NBS said on its website, “We understand, in 2020, China’s population has grown.”
