Chinese population challenges : fewer girls, more old people ?

Though the population of China has almost doubled since the 1960s and now exceeds 1.3 billion, it is no longer perceived as a threat. China has undergone profound demographic upheaval over the last forty years and its turbulent history is reflected in a population pyramid that illustrates the new challenges facing the country: the prospect of an ageing population and a shortage of young girls.

• A rapid slowdown in population growth
• The proportion of over-65s should double in the next 25 years
• More boys than girls
• From the threat of growth… to the problem of ageing
   

Isabelle Attané