China's population declines for first time in decades

Beijing — China has announced its first population decline in decades as what has been the world's most populous nation ages and its birthrate plunges, posing new challenges for the slowing economy.

The National Bureau of Statistics reported Tuesday that the country had 850,000 fewer people at the end of 2022 than the previous year. The tally includes only the population of mainland China, excluding Hong Kong and Macao as well as foreign residents.

That left a total of 1.41 billion people, with 9.56 million births against 10.41 million deaths last year, the bureau said at a briefing on Tuesday.