China Joins Growing List , of Countries Facing , Population Decline.br On January 17, new figures were published br that indicated China's population experienced br a decline for the first time in over sixty years.br Euronews reports that China br is not the only country to br announce a shrinking population.br According to a forecast published by the br United Nations last July, many countries will see their populations decline over the coming decades.br Population declines have been experiencedbr in eight countries with over ten million br inhabitants over the last decade.br The populations of Ukraine, Japan, Syria, Italy, Portugal, Romania and Greece are all declining. .br According to Euronews, the one thing these countries br have in common is low fertility rates, meaning women br are giving birth to fewer babies on average than before.br The World Bank found that each of these br European countries have fertility rates br between 1.2 and 1.6 children for each woman. .br Euronews notes that a fertility rate br of over 2 is needed to maintain br a stable population.br In Asia, Japan lost over 3 million people br between 2011 and 2021 and now has br a fertility rate of just 1.3 children per woman.br According to the U.N. report, China is forecast to lose br nearly half of its population by 2100, plummeting br from over 1.4 billion people down to just 771 million. .br According to the U.N. report, China is forecast to lose br nearly half of its population by 2100, plummeting br from over 1.4 billion people down to just 771 million. .