China's fertility rate is estimated to have dropped to a record low of 1.09 in 2022, the National Business Daily said on Tuesday, a figure likely to rattle authorities as they try to boost the country's declining number of new births.

China’s fertility rate is estimated to have dropped to a record low of 1.09 in 2022, the National Business Daily said on Tuesday, a figure likely to rattle authorities as they try to boost the country’s declining number of new births.

  • ijeff@lemdro.idEnglish
    171·
    1 year ago

    I find the term ‘fertility’ instead of ‘birth rate’ weird. Plenty of people are capable of having children but are choosing not to for a variety of reasons.

    • deegeese@sopuli.xyzEnglish
      5·
      1 year ago

      Crude birth rate bounces around for a lot of reasons.

      The fertility rate, which has nothing to do with individual fertility, is a better statistical measure of population trends.

      • ijeff@lemdro.idEnglish
        81·
        1 year ago

        I’m thinking more in terms of the terminology used rather than the methodology.

        • deegeese@sopuli.xyzEnglish
          13·
          1 year ago

          A lot of technical terminology sounds weird to people outside the field.

          “Fertility rate” is standard in demography.

  • Mothra@mander.xyzEnglish
    6·
    1 year ago

    I still don’t get it. Two decades ago they were forbidding people to have more than one child iirc. Now they’re desperate to have more people? Why the sudden change of heart? Why didn’t they lift their restrictions earlier? What info am I missing?

    • RozhkiNozhki@lemmy.worldEnglish
      8·
      1 year ago

      To put it roughly there’s a lot of old folks receiving or about to receive retirement pensions but not enough young working folks to pay taxes to make those pensions happen. They still have plenty of people but not enough taxpayers to support the rest of the population.

      Edit: and they realized it too late.

      • lightsecond@programming.devEnglish
        3·
        1 year ago

        Pretty late if they are starting now. Replacement-level fertility is about 2.1 children. Even if they somehow convince their young to increase the rate, it’ll take at least 18 years to see any effect.

      • 52fighters@kbin.social
        11·
        1 year ago

        Also now it is even harder to support having children for the average Chinese because there’s an expectation to take care of your parents and grandparents. If all six are living what resources remain fire marriage and children?