Just under 8 million babies were born in China last year. That might sound like a lot, but it's actually not. It's almost half the pre- pandemic figure.Demographers were shocked at this record low birth number, the lowest since records began in 1949, and warned that China's population could be aging at a faster rate than even the most pessimistic forecasts had estimated. At the heart of this baby bust is the fact that there aren't enough young Chinese people getting married. And that really is a result of h ...

Demographic Trends - China's kindergarten enrollment has plunged 25% in just four years [1] - This translates to 12 million fewer children in kindergartens since 2020 [1] - Nearly 42,000 preschool facilities have closed [1] - The decline is attributed to a historic crash in births and accelerating population decline since 2021 [1] Industry Impact - Some kindergarten owners are converting classrooms into nursing homes [1] - One school in Jinhua shrank from 270 kids to 42 beds for elderly residents [1] - The education system, once booming, is now overbuilt [2]