For years the communist nation had a controversial “one-child” policy that involved forced abortions and sterilisations. Once authorities realised that the rate of population growth was falling precipitously, they reversed the policy, but the momentum against child-bearing appears irreversible.

The latest fertility rate figure, which indicates the number of births per woman, is likely to rattle authorities.

The state-backed Daily said that the figure from the Population and Development Research Centre means that China now has the lowest fertility level among nations with a population of more than 100m.

It already ranks as one of the world’s least fertile countries alongside South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore.

This year, China’s population shrank for the first time since 1961, when there was a widespread famine caused by ‘the Great Leap Forward’.

The falling fertility rate and aging population have prompted the authorities to implement an array of measures aimed at lifting the birth rate, including financial incentives and improved childcare facilities.

https://www.rte.ie/news/2023/0816/1400079-china-fertility-falling/