Population

Beijing’s population falls for first time since 2003 as China battles low birthrate

Chinese capital saw more deaths than births in 2022 as high cost of living and education as well as legacy of one-child policy take their toll

Helen Davidson in Taipei

22, Mar, 2023 @5:16 AM

Dreaming an Island review – an eerie tour of planet Earth’s depopulated future

This documentary about a small Japanese island, a once thriving mining outpost that now has only 100 residents, lightens its existential concerns with a focus on human connection

Phil Hoad

20, Mar, 2023 @7:00 AM

The world can be overwhelming for children – that’s why I’ve reduced it to 100 people | Jackie McCann

My book makes daunting statistics easy to understand, opening young people up to different ways of thinking about the world, says children’s writer Jackie McCann

Jackie McCann

13, Mar, 2023 @10:00 AM

Free college and IVF help: China hunts for ways to raise its birthrate

High costs and career impacts remain barriers to having children for many women despite Beijing’s efforts to lift its record-low birthrate

Amy Hawkins Senior China correspondent

10, Mar, 2023 @1:54 AM

From bush to beach: new NRL club offers hope for a region ‘people usually drive through to get to Sunshine Coast’

The Dolphins represent a region quietly shedding its small-town vibe. Can the team provide the area with an identity worthy of the national stage?

Joe Hinchliffe

25, Feb, 2023 @7:00 PM

Experience: I gave birth to the world’s ‘8 billionth baby’

It was surreal. It was just past midnight and as soon as Vinice was delivered, we were surrounded by people

Maria Margarette Villorente

24, Feb, 2023 @10:00 AM

Slump in younger people marrying sparks calls to protect cohabiting rights

Latest census reveals 1.2m more unmarried 25- to 35-year-olds in England and Wales than in 2011

Robert Booth Social affairs correspondent

22, Feb, 2023 @3:16 PM

John Rowley obituary

Other lives: Fleet Street journalist who went on to produce publications on population and environmental issues

Jeremy Hamand

17, Feb, 2023 @4:41 PM

Paris pushes for second-home tax hike to tackle population drain

Authorities in French capital also want more affordable housing for working- and middle-class families

Kim Willsher in Paris

14, Feb, 2023 @11:46 AM

Can you predict which parts of Sydney will be next to gentrify?

Researchers have developed a model which uses changes in the socioeconomic status of an area to anticipate gentrification

Nick Evershed

11, Feb, 2023 @7:00 PM

Census data suggests UK faces ‘non-religious future’, say campaigners

Figures for England and Wales show under-40s more likely to declare ‘no religion’ than Christianity for first time

Robert Booth and Michael Goodier

30, Jan, 2023 @3:53 PM

Chinese province ends ban on unmarried people having children

Sichuan measures aim to encourage more people to have children after population fell for first time in 60 years