"From the trend of population development in recent years, the population growth will continue to slow in the future," said Ning Jizhe, head of the National Bureau of Statistics, speaking after the release of the census results. "China's population will reach a peak in the future, but the specific time is still uncertain. Last year, China recorded 12 million births, Ning said, sharply down from 14.65 million in 2019. By 2020, local media reported that the cost had risen to as high as 1.99 million yuan - four times the 2005 number. "Secondly, the cost of raising a kid is outrageous (in Shanghai)," she said, in comments made before the 2020 census was published.

Source: The Star May 11, 2021 05:48 UTC