China’s demographic crisis means it’s going to run out of workers

The Washington Post ^ | October 13, 2025 | Joshua Yang, Amaya Verde

[MinorityRepublican]

The biggest challenge China faces right now isn’t the Trump administration and its campaign to decouple the world’s two biggest economies. It comes from within: China is experiencing population decline on a scale and at a speed the world has never seen.

This will create ripples that will be felt across China and the world for decades to come. The impact on China’s long-term growth rate could imperil Beijing’s mission to become a global power to rival or replace the United States. And the huge shortage of labor will potentially affect supply chains of products including Barbie dolls, shoes, mobile phones and electric vehicles.

“It’s almost impossible to reverse a demographic decline,” said Louise Loo, the head of Asia economics at research firm Oxford Economics. She estimated China’s shrinking workforce could shave 0.5 percent off annual gross domestic product growth over the next decade.

In 1990, the median age in China was 23.7, according to U.N. data. The average Chinese woman had 2.51 children, well above the replacement rate of 2.1 needed to keep the population stable.

But by 2023, the demographic picture had changed dramatically. The median age was 39.1, and women were having an average of one child. In 2022, according to Chinese census data, China’s population peaked at 1.4 billion. Now, it is declining.

China is now on an alarming trajectory. The United Nations projects that in 2050, China’s population will fall to 1.26 billion and the age distribution will worsen: About 10 percent will be under 15 years old — but about 40 percent will be over 60.

[T.B. Yoits]

There's no shortage of labor other than those needed as debt and tax slaves.

The world population has quintupled over the last century and a half as fiat currencies and debt economies expanded.

[Texas Eagle]

Not to mention human organs to sell to rich foreigners.

But, yeah, a shortage of Barbie dolls could be problematic.

[HighSierra5]

They can have all the illegals that we’re deporting.

[EnderWiggin1970]

Considering the article posted earlier showcasing China’s use of robotics I don’t think they consider the decline in the workforce an insurmountable concern. While it will impact various facets of Chinese society (pensions, welfare, military projection, etc.), the ability to churn out mass-produced goods will be retained, providing the government with a powerful economic tool. Unless someone were to shut them out of the markets they rely on for their power...

[GingisK]

Our own society has a negative birth rate.

[Antoninus]

No one knows what to believe about China. It’s either an overpopulated hegemon with an unstoppable military on a trajectory for world domination, or an under-populated basket case one economic downturn away from revolution and mass starvation.

[MinorityRepublican]

Personally, I think China already had peaked. Their median age will be 43 by 2030.

[frank ballenger]

Like Miracle of 34th Street where the letters to Santa could be delivered to the man in court known as Kris Kringle, and thousands more followed the precedent of one——

Send the Maryland Dad terrorist and spouse abuser Kilmar Abrego Garcia to China. He can help their workforce.

Then send the other 10-12 million illegals from the US to China. Population problem solved.

[FatherofFive]

The result of the one child policy

[Bob Wills is still the king]

As with Japan, China is turning to robot technology for multiple new uses in manufacturing. Most manufacturing hand work will be gone from nearly everywhere in another generation, leaving lots and lots of people unemployed and looking to the government for assistance.

[butlerweave]

Indians are looking for work

[Right_Wing_Madman]

The world population has quintupled over the last century

That phenomenon occurred in the 20th century when humans maintained normal birth rates, but infant mortality (about 70% for centuries) was conquered worldwide. With widespread use of contraception and abortion, those conditions don't exist anymore and the world's population will be collapsing. Future population is one of the easiest models to predict because all you have to do is examine birth rates today.

China's one-child policy was in place for 35 years and it was a total disaster for the country. Even though the policy ended in 2015, China's birth rate has not recovered. The Chinese wish they could have all those lost people back. They would be in their prime producer age today.

[TexasFreeper2009]

China listened to liberals and destroyed itself.

[Frank Drebin]

That’s why they are building so many Mr. Robotos.

[Verginius Rufus]

The one-child policy is part of the reason, but some countries which never had that policy have even lower birth rates than China, including South Korea, Japan and Germany. Many European countries are expected to have lower populations in 2050 than they have now.

Of course that is assuming that we won't all be dead because of climate change before then anyway.

[Captainpaintball]

Good. Bring in more indians,. like the rest of the world.

[T.B. Yoits]

If the globalist debt and tax slavers didn't need to keep their investments going, no one would care about birth rates.

[Ronald77]

That was predicted with the one child mandate. Everyone wanted a boy and aborted girls. Now the shortage.

[absalom01]

People have been talking about this for a while, and China’s population has already peaked. So, this is as big as their army will ever be, and they’re going to be under some time pressure to annex Taiwan.

Doesn’t make them less dangerous, that’s for sure.