Many Meituan food delivery workers are lining up to make preparations in Shanghai, China, on January 14, 2024.
(Photo by Costfoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images)BEIJING — China's working age population is shrinking as a share of the total number of people in the country, according to official data released Wednesday.
People ages 16 to 59 accounted for 61.3% of mainland China's population last year, down from 62% the prior year, National Bureau of Statistics data showed.
A shrinking working age ratio means fewer people have to support a larger share of the population, even as the number of people in China overall declines.
China's total population dropped by more than 2 million people to 1.41 billion in 2023 from the prior year.
Organizations:
Getty Images, National Bureau
Locations:
Shanghai, China, BEIJING