(AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)China has announced its first population decline in decades as what has been the world’s most populous nation ages and its birthrate plunges. 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, the bureau said at a briefing on Tuesday. Over 2022, the permanent urban population increased by 6.46 million to reach 920.71 million, or 65.22%, while the rural population fell by 7.31 million. The United Nations estimated last year that the world’s population reached 8 billion on Nov. 15 and that India will replace China as the world’s most populous nation in 2023.

Source: Daily Nation January 17, 2023 17:31 UTC