A significant drop in the birth rate in China in recent years has had a profound impact on the country’s educational and social infrastructure, resulting in the closure of thousands of kindergartens. According to the annual report of the Chinese Ministry of Education, the number of kindergartens will decrease by 14,808 in 2023, indicating a continuous decline in the number of children. This situation is not only a challenge for educational institutions but is also linked to the country’s growing elderly population and economic problems, which may create more complications in the days to come.
According to the annual report of the Chinese Ministry of Education, the number of kindergartens decreased by 14,808 in 2023, bringing the total to 274,400. This marks the second straight year of decline and reflects China’s declining birth rate.
Declining Kindergarten Enrollment
The Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported that kindergarten enrollment also fell for the third year in a row, down 11.55 percent, or 5.35 million children, to 40.9 million.
China’s population shrank for the second year in a row in 2023, reaching 1.4 billion after a decline of 2 million. The country recorded just nine million births, the lowest since 1949. India has recently overtaken China as the world’s most populous country.
Demographic Crisis and Elderly Care
China now faces a double crisis: not only is the birth rate declining, but the elderly population is also growing rapidly. About 300 million people will be 60 years or older by the end of 2023, rising to 400 million by 2035 and 500 million by 2050, according to Xinhua News Agency.
Kindergartens are being retooled as care centers for senior citizens, resulting in an increasing burden on social security. Officials blame China’s demographic crisis on the one-child policy, which ended in 2016.
China raised the retirement age last month, raising it from 60 to 63 for men and from 55 to 58 for female office workers.
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