This statistic shows the number of births per year in China from 2007 to 2017. In 2017, around 17.2 million babies had been born in China.
Demographic development in China – additional information
The annual number of births in China has increased continuously from 2010 to 2016. In 2016, the number of births in China had reached 17.86 million. In tandem with the rising number of births, the birth rate in China has remained largely unchanged. It depicts the total number of births per 1,000 women per year. The last decade saw a slight decline in birth rate from 12.41 in 2003 to 12.08 in 2013.
China was the most populous country in the world as of 2017. Yet the large population brings about severe demographic challenges for the country. The Chinese society is aging rapidly and facing a serious demographic shift towards older age groups. The median age of China’s population had increased massively from about 19 years in 1970 to 37 years in 2015 and is projected to rise continuously until 2070. In 2010, approximately 166 million Chinese were 60 years and older, a figure that is forecast to rise as high as 493 million by 2060.
This shift in demographic development will increase social and elderly support expenditure of the society as a whole. One measure for this social imbalance is the age dependency ratio, measuring the relationship between economic dependent age groups and the working-age population. The age dependency ratio in China is expected to soar to 61 percent in 2060, implying that by then two working-age persons will have to support one elderly person. For more information on demographic development in China, take a look at our Statista dossiers on population and aging population in China.
