LINE

Text:AAAPrint
Society

Northeast China has 'world's lowest fertility rate'

1
2018-07-25 14:09:15Global Times Editor : Li Yan ECNS App Download

Northeast China has world's lowest fertility rate, around a third of Japan's: expert

The total fertility rate in China's northeastern provinces was the lowest in the world - around a third of Japan's - and leads to the decline in the region's labor force, a Chinese expert said.

Yi Fuxian, a researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told the Global Times on Tuesday that Northeast China - Heilongjiang, Liaoning and Jilin provinces - had the world's lowest fertility rate, or number of children an average woman will have over her lifetime, in 2015 at 0.55.

It means that the next-generation population in the region is only one-fourth of the last generation. That's 38 percent of Japan's and 44 percent of South Korea's.

The fertility rate in China in 2015 was 1.05. The 2014 World Bank records show China's rate is lower than those of 199 countries and regions, people.cn reported.

Yi blamed the fertility rate for the drop in the region's labor force, not the population exodus, and urged the region to set more policies to encourage the young generation to produce more children. 

A report published by the National Health Commission in 2016 said the fertility rate in northeastern China was 0.75 in 2010. 

The population of this region accounted for 8.2 percent of the country, a drop of 0.2 percent compared to 2000, yicai.com reported.

However, Cong Yi, an economics professor at the Tianjin University of Finance and Economics, told the Global Times that the failure of economic restructures is the reason for the decline of labor force. 

"The poor economic environment has driven large numbers of young people to leave," Cong said, citing the pension deficit. 

Northeast China was the country's industrial heartland prior to the 1990s. But the three provinces have been plagued by slow economic growth, and some companies are on the brink of bankruptcy.

The key to solving the problem is a clear economic direction and offering more attractive incentives to talented people, Cong said.

  

Related news

MorePhoto

Most popular in 24h

MoreTop news

MoreVideo

News
Politics
Business
Society
Culture
Military
Sci-tech
Entertainment
Sports
Odd
Features
Biz
Economy
Travel
Travel News
Travel Types
Events
Food
Hotel
Bar & Club
Architecture
Gallery
Photo
CNS Photo
Video
Video
Learning Chinese
Learn About China
Social Chinese
Business Chinese
Buzz Words
Bilingual
Resources
ECNS Wire
Special Coverage
Infographics
Voices
LINE
Back to top Links | About Us | Jobs | Contact Us | Privacy Policy
Copyright ©1999-2018 Chinanews.com. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.