Population Declines in 16 of China’s Provinces, While 11 Have Fewer Births Than Deaths

Children in the schoolyard of the once-bustling Technical Secondary School in Rudong, Jiangsu Province, on April 17, 2015. Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images

Among China’s 31 provinces and municipalities, 16 provinces had a lower population in 2021 than the year before; while 11 provinces had lower birth rates than death rates, according to official data collected last year.

The data is from public notices issued by local authorities and the China Statistical Yearbook.