SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China's population is set to reach a peak of 1.442 billion in 2029 and start a long period of "unstoppable" decline in 2030, government scholars said in a research report published on Friday. "From a theoretical point of view, the long-term population decline, especially when it is accompanied by a continuously ageing population, is bound to cause very unfavourable social and economic consequences," it said. China's population is expected to fall back to 1.36 billion by the middle of the century, it said, which could mean a decline in the workforce of as much as 200 million. If fertility rates remain unchanged, the population could fall to 1.17 billion by 2065, it said. According to previous forecasts, China's elderly population is expected to reach 400 million by the end of 2035, up from around 240 million last year.

Source: The Star January 05, 2019 09:11 UTC