China Sees 1.7 Million Fewer Kindergarten Students Last Year... Elementary Students Also Down by 1 Million

Last year, China's population declined for the first time in 61 years, and the number of kindergarten and elementary school students also significantly decreased.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP) on the 26th, the Chinese Ministry of Education announced that last year, the number of kindergarten students in China was 46.3 million, and the number of elementary school students was 107 million. This represents a decrease of 1.7 million and 1 million respectively compared to the same period the previous year.

Additionally, SCMP reported that the number of kindergartens across China decreased by 5,000 last year.

SCMP analyzed, "The fact that both kindergarten and elementary school student numbers dropped by over one million last year reflects the declining birth rate in China," adding, "Due to China's ongoing urbanization, the rural population is rapidly decreasing, which will lead to a sharp decline in the child population in these areas."

As of the end of last year, China's population stood at 1.41175 billion, a decrease of 850,000 from the previous year (1.4126 billion). This is the first population decline in China in 61 years. The number of newborns fell from 18.8 million in 2016 to 9.5 million last year, dropping below 10 million for the first time since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.

In Beijing, the capital of China, a "dead cross" phenomenon occurred last year, where the number of deaths exceeded the number of births. This trend aligns with the overall population decline in China that began last year.

According to Beijing city data, last year the death rate increased to 5.72 per 1,000 people, while the birth rate decreased to 5.67 per 1,000 people. Consequently, Beijing's natural population growth rate last year was -0.05 per 1,000 people, marking the first negative growth since 2003.

With the population declining, China is expected to lose its position as the world's most populous country to India this year. In the West, the "Peak China" theory has been raised, suggesting that China's growth potential has reached its limit due to population decline and aging.