China’s birth rate dropped last year to its lowest level since it was founded in 1949. Chinese mothers gave birth to 14.65 million children in 2019, a birth rate of 10.48 babies per 1,000 people.
China's one-child policy has been blamed for a severe gender imbalance . Males still outnumber females by more than 30 million even in 2019.
The one-child policy was relaxed in 2016 to allow people to have two children but the change has not resulted in an increase in pregnancies. The number of births has now fallen for three consecutive years, still, there were 14.65 million babies born in 2019.
The current birth rate adds to concerns that an ageing society and shrinking workforce will pile pressure on a slowing economy.
