China Capital Beijing Experiences First Inhabitants Decline Since 2003

BEIJING (Reuters) – The dying price in China’s capital Beijing surpassed its beginning price in 2022, official knowledge confirmed on Tuesday, pushing its pure inhabitants progress into unfavourable territory for the primary time since 2003.

The dying price within the metropolis of 21.84 million, one of many nation’s most populous city centres, rose to five.72 deaths per 1,000 individuals, whereas the beginning price fell to five.67 births per 1,000 individuals, official statistics launched by the Beijing authorities confirmed.

Beijing’s inhabitants decline was in keeping with nationwide traits, with China’s inhabitants falling final yr for the primary time in six a long time, weighed down by rising residing prices particularly in massive, sprawling cities like Beijing, weak financial progress, and altering attitudes in the direction of elevating a household.

In early December, a nationwide lifting of strict COVID-19 curbs triggered a wave of infections and induced an unknown variety of deaths.

It was the primary shrinkage of Beijing’s pure inhabitants since 2003, with the pure inhabitants progress at minus 0.05 per 1,000 individuals final yr.

The information was based mostly on a pattern survey that started on Nov. 1, in response to a footnote within the launch, which didn’t specify how lengthy the survey took.

China’s beginning price final yr was 6.77 births per 1,000 individuals, the bottom on file, whereas the nation’s dying price, the very best since 1974, was 7.37 deaths per 1,000 individuals.

(Reporting by Albee Zhang and Ryan Woo, enhancing by Ed Osmond)

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