China adds fewer babies as its 1.4 billion people age

BEIJING — The number of working-age people in China fell over the past decade as its aging population barely grew, a census showed Tuesday, complicating Chinese leaders’ efforts to create a more prosperous and influential nation.

The total population rose to 1.411 billion people last year, up 72 million from 2010, according to the once-a-decade census. Slow growth fell closer to zero as fewer couples had children.

The ruling Communist Party has enforced birth limits since 1980 to restrain population growth but worries the workforce is shrinking. It has eased birth limits, but couples are put off by high costs, cramped housing and job discrimination against mothers.

The population of potential workers ages 15 to 59 fell to 894 million last year, the National Bureau of Statistics reported. That would be down 5 percent from a 2011 peak of 925 million. The percentage of children in the population edged up compared with 2010, but the group aged 60 and older grew faster.

Changes in birth limits and other policies “promoted a rebound in the birth population,” the bureau director, Ning Jizhe, said at a news conference.

However, Ning said 12 million babies were born last year, which would be down 18 percent from 2019’s 14.6 million.

The numbers reported Thursday reflect a gain of 11.8 million people, or 0.8 percent, over the official estimate for 2019, when the government says the population edged above 1.4 billion for the first time.

The latest data put China closer to be overtaken by India as the most populous country, which is expected to happen by 2025.