Is China’s population shrinking?
Leaks from the census say it is. Official media give mixed messages
Editor’s note (April 29th 2021): This article has been updated to include denials that China’s population is shrinking
THE COMMUNIST PARTY has long known that, partly as the result of its brutal birth-control policies, China’s population would soon peak and start to shrink. It has been startled, however, by how rapidly that moment has drawn near. Now, it looks as if it might have arrived.
This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline "Is China’s population shrinking?"
From the May 1st 2021 edition
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