China's birth rate is its lowest in decades. Other countries are facing the same trend. China's birth rate is its lowest in decades. Other countries are facing the same trend.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 18, 2020
China was long notorious for its one-child policy. After it took effect in the late 1970s, population growth began to slow - which was the point. The country's leaders wanted to ensure that economic growth would outstrip demographic growth, however steep the price. Particularly stark was the decline in female babies, as some families prioritized keeping males instead.