Demographic Dynamics in the People’s Republic of China

The subject of this study is the demographic situation in China. The objectives of the study include determining long-term trends in its change, their causes and consequences for the economic development of the PRC. The theoretical basis of the study is modern concepts of demographic development within the framework of the macroeconomic approach, set out in the works of Chinese and foreign scholars. The study is based on an extensive database of statistical data on the demographic and economic development of the PRC for the period since 1950, obtained from open sources of the National Bureau of Statistics, the UN and the World Bank. Standard methods of time series analysis are applied to the data in order to identify sustainable trends. The main part of the article considers long-term trends in fertility, mortality, changes in the size, sex and age structure of the population, migration and urbanization, as well as their effects on the economic development of China. In conclusion, practical recommendations are provided regarding possible measures of demographic and socio-economic policy that will help to overcome the negative consequences and make a painless transition to the paradigm of sustainable development. The study may be of interest to a wide range of specialists in the field of demography, population migration, macroeconomics, and China studies.