Thinking About China
Opinion

China Recorded the Lowest Birth Rate in 2025: A Look at the Factors Behind the Decline

The decline in birth rates can be viewed as a silent protest by the people against the Chinese Communist Party.
China Recorded the Lowest Birth Rate in 2025: A Look at the Factors Behind the Decline
A nurse cares for a newborn baby at the Women and Children's Hospital in Fuyang City, Anhui Province, China, on Aug. 8, 2022. CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images
Wang He
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Commentary

According to data from China’s National Bureau of Statistics, only 7.92 million births were recorded in 2025—the lowest figure since 1949 (12.75 million). That is nearly 10 million fewer births than in 2016 (17.86 million). The plunging birth rate signals that China’s demographic crisis has reached an unprecedented level.

Wang He
Wang He
Author
Wang He has master’s degrees in law and history, and has studied the international communist movement. He was a university lecturer and an executive of a large private firm in China. Wang now lives in North America and has published commentaries on China’s current affairs and politics since 2017.