[AP Photo]China has announced its first overall population decline in recent years amid an aging society and plunging birthrate. It counts only the population of mainland China while excluding Hong Kong and Macao as well as foreign residents. 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. In a report released on World Population Day, the U.N. also said global population growth fell below 1% in 2020 for the first time since 1950.

Source: Daily Nation January 17, 2023 17:24 UTC