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The Future of a Demographic Overachiever: Long‐Term Implications of the Demographic Transition in China
Abstract
China has been an overachiever in the global process of demographic transition in the second half of the twentieth century. Its mortality decline was unparalleled in human history among populations of significant size, consequently setting the stage for rapid population growth. In turn, rapid population growth laid the foundation for an unprecedented state intervention in birth control. China’s fertility decline in the closing decades of the twentieth century was perhaps even more extraordinary for its speed and especially for the measures taken and the authorities involved. With China’s fertility now well below replacement level, what lies ahead for this demographic overachiever? In this chapter I examine three issues related to China’s demographic transition. First, I briefly review the demographic transition in China. Second, I discuss the role of the Chinese state, a particularly salient aspect of the demographic transition and one that has attracted much attention and caused a good deal of confusion. Third, using population projections, I highlight a few important features of China’s demographic future, deriving
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“The worst fear for parents is that their only children would die before themselves, a small but certain demographic risk (Wang 2011, Feng et al. 2014, Fang 2020).”
From The Social and Sociological Consequences of China's One-Child Policy (2021) · cites this paper as Wang 2011
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Metadata
- Authors
- Feng, W.
- Venue
- Population and Development Review
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2011-01
- Volume
- 37
- Issue
- s1
- Pages
- 173-190
- ISSN
- 0098-7921 (ISSN-L)
- 1728-4457
- OpenAlex
- W1981011004
- Cited by
- 107
- References
- 41
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 11 · 2012: 7
- FWCI
- 16.73
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Population and Development Review (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Demographic Trends and Gender Preferences
- Social Sciences › Demography › Insurance, Mortality, Demography, Risk Management
- Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › China's Socioeconomic Reforms and Governance
- Keywords
- demographic transition, population aging, population growth, long-term population projections, China, population policy
- MeSH terms
- China, Demography, Humans, Population Density, Public Health, Social Change, Social Conditions, Social Responsibility, Population Groups, History, 19th Century, History, 20th Century, History, 21st Century
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