China’s population in 2025 decreased by 3.39 million people to 1 billion 404.89 million, according to a report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). The population has declined for the fourth consecutive year.
This included 716.85 million men and 688.04 million women. These figures do not include the populations of Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, as well as foreigners living in China.
Last year, 7.92 million children were born in the country, compared to 9.54 million a year earlier. This is the lowest level in the history of calculations (since 1949). The birth rate was 5.63 per 1,000 people, compared to 6.77 in 2024.
The sharp decline may be partly due to the increase in 2024, most of which occurred during the Year of the Dragon, which is considered auspicious for marriage and childbirth in Chinese culture, experts note.
The number of deaths in China in 2025 increased to 11.31 million from 10.93 million a year earlier, according to the NBS. The mortality rate rose to 8.04 per 1,000 people from 7.76.
People aged 16 to 59 accounted for 60.6% of the total population, while those aged 60 and older accounted for 23%.
Cities were home to 953.8 million people, which is 10.3 million more than at the end of 2024. The number of permanent residents in rural areas decreased by 13.69 million to 451.09 million people. As a result, the share of the urban population increased by 89 basis points to 67.89%.
The average number of years of schooling among the population aged 16 to 59 reached 11.3 years, which is 0.1 years more than in 2024.
At the end of 2025, China’s GDP increased by 5% to 140.2 trillion yuan. The growth rate coincided with the government’s target and the pace of economic growth in 2024.
From January 1, 2026, China has completely stopped purchasing electricity from Russia, including the minimum contractual volumes. The reason is related to prices: the export cost of supplies from Russia in 2026 for the first time exceeded domestic electricity tariffs in China, making imports uneconomic. In China, the price remains virtually unchanged and is estimated at about 350 yuan per 1 MWh.
The contract for electricity supplies to China was concluded in 2012 and is valid until 2037.
Earlier, Inter RAO had already recorded a reduction in electricity exports to China in 2025 amid supply constraints in Russia’s Far East region, Reuters reported.
Chinese state-owned company Dongfang Wind Power has signed a contract worth 495 million euros within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative to supply 48 wind turbines for a 300 MW wind power project in Serbia, Serbian Economist reports, citing the Chinese industry portal Seetao.
According to the sources, Dongfang has conducted detailed site studies and optimized the turbine design taking into account Serbian standards, climatic conditions and power grid parameters. The investor and contractor of the project is China Power Construction Group (PowerChina).
The project, which has been linked in publications to the Vetrozelena wind power plant in the Pancevo region (Vojvodina), involves the installation of turbines with a unit capacity of about 6.25 MW. The expected generation is estimated at about 750-774 million kWh per year.
Vetrozelena is the largest wind power plant under construction in Serbia, with Čibuk 1 with a capacity of 158 MW being the largest operating wind power facility in the country.
https://t.me/relocationrs/2099
Retail sales of passenger cars in China in 2025 increased by 3.9% – the slowest pace in three years, according to the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA). In 2024, sales growth was 5.3%.
Sales of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids rose 17.6% last year after jumping 40.7% a year earlier. At the same time, annual sales of such vehicles in the country exceeded sales of traditional vehicles for the first time.
Car exports from China rose 19.4% last year to 5.79 million units. Exports of electric vehicles jumped 48.8% to 1.52 million units, the CPCA reported.
Domestic demand for new energy vehicles (NEVs) in China declined after subsidies for buyers were reduced or discontinued in many cities and provinces across the country.
According to the CPCA forecast, car sales in China will remain at 2025 levels in 2026, and the growth rate of electric vehicle exports will slow down.
Some waste-to-energy plants in China are experiencing a shortage of waste to fuel their capacity amid rapid expansion of the sector and changes in household waste management, according to Chinese media reports.
There are more than 1,000 waste-to-energy plants in the country, and by 2022, their combined waste incineration capacity exceeded the volume of household waste collected (333 million tons versus 311 million tons).
Experts attribute the problem not to the fact that “the waste has run out,” but to excess capacity and an imbalance between where the waste is generated and where the facilities are built. In particular, in China, the share of urban household waste processed by incineration increased to 79% in 2024, and the number of waste incineration facilities, according to Dialogue Earth, increased from approximately 104 in 2010 to about 1,000 at present.
The media notes that some companies are expanding the “geography” of waste delivery to support their operations, switching to industrial waste and resorting to so-called landfill mining – the extraction of “old” waste from landfills for further incineration.
At the same time, statements about the possible import of waste to fill capacity are hampered by existing restrictions: the Chinese authorities have previously announced a complete ban on the import of solid waste from January 1, 2021.
Analysts also point to the risk of misguided incentives: discussions about a “waste shortage” may push the market to try to increase waste volumes, but industry experts emphasize that the priority should remain reduction, reuse, and recycling, rather than increasing waste generation to fill furnaces.
China has abolished a 30-year tax exemption on condoms and a range of contraceptives and started imposing a standard VAT of 13% on them from January 1, 2026, media reported. The decision is seen as part of a package of measures to stimulate the birth rate amid a continuing decline in the number of births and an aging population.
Earlier, Chinese authorities also announced the launch of a nationwide childcare subsidy program – the payment amounts to 3,600 yuan a year (about $500) for each child under the age of three.
In addition, the government encouraged universities to introduce “love education” courses – training focused on fostering positive attitudes toward marriage, family and having children.
