China's Population Problem
Simon Whistler · February 18, 2026 · 20 min video · China & Indo-Pacific
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From the transcript
It's a crisis of China's own making a crisis that will just reshape the nation 's economy, but will also hank off Beijing's international ambitions. China's population is falling and it is falling fast. Figures from China's National Bureau of Statistics or NBS revealed that in 2025, the population dropped by 3.39 million to 1.405 million.
The only other time that China's population fell so steeply was during the catastrophic famine of Mao Zedong's Great Leap forward from 1959 to 1961. Two things caused this latest drop. First, the number of deaths had increased from 10.93 million in 2024 to 11.31 million.
Second, and perhaps more importantly, the number of registered births was 7.92 million down 17% from 2024 and its lowest since records began in 1949.
This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.
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About this briefing
China’s population is collapsing—births at 1738 levels, a shrinking workforce, and a looming pension crisis. Can Beijing save its economy and military ambitions before demographics derail its superpower dream? Megaprojects: https://www.youtube.com/@megaprojects9649 SideProjects: https://www.youtube.com/@Sideprojects Into The Shadows: https://www.youtube.com/@IntotheShadows Today I Found Out: https://www.youtube.com/@TodayIFoundOut Brain Blaze: https://www.youtube.com/@brainblaze6526 Casual Criminalist: https://www.youtube.com/@TheCasualCriminalist Decoding the Unknown: https://www.youtube.com/@decodingtheunknown2373 Places: https://www.youtube.com/@Places302 Celestium: https://www.youtube.com/@Celestium1234 PoliticalFronts: http://www.youtube.com/@politicalfronts 00:00 Introduction 01:40 The Decline 08:13 The Impact 16:53 Can This Be Reversed?
Sources
- 01Edition China One Child Anniversary Intl Hnk Vis Dst
- 02Hrw How Fix Chinas Population Crisis Say Sorry Womenc
- 03Yicaiglobal Parental Leave To Cost Businesses In China Usd2552 Per Child Expert Predicts
- 04English Content WS68875f65c6d0868f4e8f47bf
- 05Voanews
- 06Reuters Chinas Factory Output Retail Sales Weaken November 2025 12 15
- 07Atlanticcouncil Chinas Property Slump Deepens And Threatens More Than The Housing Sector
