China Today
One in a billion
Key questions:
- How has the government tried to control the growth of population in China?
- Why is there a gender imbalance in China?
- How is China coping with an increasingly ageing population?
Key Concepts:
Place
Physical and human processes
Cultural understanding and diversity
China is the most populous country in the world. Of every five persons in the world, one is Chinese. The growth rate is about 0.6%, the lowest for any developing country, but because its population is so huge, annual net population growth is still considerable.
The government introduced the One Child Policy in 1979 to limit population growth. This limits couples to one child although it is mainly restricted to Han Chinese living in urban areas. Fines, pressures to abort a pregnancy and forced sterilization could be enforced with a second pregnancy. It is estimated that this rule has reduced population growth by as much as 300 million people over the first 20 years of its implementation.
However, because couples often prefer male children and may abort or abandon girl babies if they are only permitted one child, this has resulted in the disparate ratio of 114 males for every 100 females born. By 2020 there may be 30 million men of marriageable age who will not be able to find a wife.
It has been calculated that between 2000 and 2007, the number of Chinese 65 or older grew from just under 100 million to more than 200 million. This means a jump in older people of more than 4 million a year, with their numbers making up as much as 14 per cent of the population in 2007. China is now one of the most rapidly ageing countries in the world. There is concern about the breakdown of traditional cultural practices where children take care of parents in their old age. Many young people are forced to move away by the demands of finding work.
Sometime between 2030 and 2050 there could be only two workers for every person who is retired (currently 6:1) which would wipe out China's low-cost labour advantage and put a huge strain on China's welfare provision. China will need to bring in pension reforms such as reducing the benefit rates and raising the retirement age.
Interactive:
Downloads:
Links:
BBC news video - China facing gender crisis
Audio file and script - Young China VI: aging population