The Changing Population of China

In this book, top Chinese demographers introduce the reader to Chinese population policy, assess its effects and project future consequences.

In the last three decades, the Chinese have conducted the greatest demographic experiment in human history. They have sought to curb the growth of their vast population through the implementation of rigid population policy and programmes. Whilst helping to keep the population from spiralling out of control, the policy has also had unwanted consequences including an imbalance of males to females and the weakening of family kinship and old-age support networks.

This book provides a background to the policy by introducing Chinese history, society, and geographical population distribution. The contributors then examine the relation between policy, culture, and population in the past and present, and project current trends into the future. The book discusses a wide range of socio-economic impacts on China's demographic dynamics, such as employment, social welfare and urbanization. The book's conclusion extrapolates these trends into longer-term population projections.