How much of this is due to COVID?
This video considers India the next production hub, especially considering young vs. old population ratio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKNPP8nwD_E
This video considers India the next production hub, especially considering young vs. old population ratio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKNPP8nwD_E
The declining population of China is a well-known problem so much that its one-child policy was progressively loosened and the scrapped altogether. Essentially, if the Chinese people (collectively) decide to focus on growing a 3+ child family, this population crunch will decline, but it seems that in major urban areas the people in general voiced that the policies might not be pro-family enough to reverse this shrinkage (with even some pointing to practices that indirectly discourage bringing up a family like workplace discrimination on pregnant women).
CCP certainly succeeded in curbing the population. The question now is whether they can reverse course. My gut feeling is that as China becomes more developed, people will want less kids (as everything gets more expensive), making it likely they will fail.
- Since China controlled the pandemic via strict lockdown, where one cannot leave their apartments / housing compound for ANY reason, couples would be bored and get busy in bed to pass the time, resulting in a surge in birth rate.
- Also because of the strict lockdown, couples would be wary of having babies in such uncertainty. For example, if a woman gets pregnant and their compound goes into lockdown, she would have trouble getting prenatal care. Even if they can go to the hospital, they are afraid they will get COVID there.
So far it seems the second theory is closer to truth.
[0]: https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/07/china/china-xian-outbreak-ana...