Charts of the Day: China’s Record Low Birthrate Heightens Long-Term Economic Challenges

China’s birthrate hit a new record low last year, official data showed Monday, adding to concerns that the world’s second-largest economy will slow faster than previously expected.

The world’s most populous country had 10.62 million babies born last year, a birth rate of 7.52 per 1,000 people, according to data (link in Chinese) from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). The birthrate was the lowest since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949.