Record drop in Xinjiang birth rate

Coercive policies in China’s region of Xinjiang have led to a sharp decline in birth rates for Uyghurs and other minorities, which could add to evidence of genocide, according to an Australian think tank


BIRTH RATE OF XINJIANG VERSUS WHOLE OF CHINA (1951-2019)

1958-62: Great Chinese Famine

2019: Xinjiang’s birth rate is 8.14 births per 1,000 people, below national average of 10.5 and down from 15.3 in 2016

Xinjiang 
China
  
Birth rate (per thousand)
50 
40 
30 
20 
10 
0
 1951 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2019


Xinjiang’s birth rate dropped by nearly half (48.7%) between 2017 and 2019
  
In counties where population was 90% non-Han (China’s majority ethnic group), birth rate dropped by 56.5% between 2017 and 2018

Methods used by authorities to discourage births include fines, internment, or threat of internment
 
China says changes in birth rates are linked to improved health and economic policy and rejects accusations of genocide

  
ASPI analysis based on Chinese government data


Sources: Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), Reuters 
Picture: Getty Images 
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