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China records 1st population fall in decades as births drop

FILE - A girl wearing a face mask rides on a man's shoulders as they walk along a tourist shopping street in Beijing on Oct. 7, 2022. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)

China has announced its first population decline in decades as what has been the world's most populous nation ages and its birthrate plunges.

The National Bureau of Statistics reported Tuesday that the country had 850,000 fewer people at the end of 2022 than the previous year. The tally includes only the population of mainland China, excluding Hong Kong and Macao as well as foreign residents.

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