For decades, the Chinese Communist Party was worried about overpopulation. In 1978 it told Chinese families they could only have one kid to contain the ballooning population size. But after years of restricting the number of births, China's population is now shrinking — fast. This demographic trend is a massive problem for China, currently vying to overtake the US as the world's largest economy. Meanwhile, the US population has also started to decline over the past decade. We compare their population growth rates from 1961-2020.

More For You

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer stands with his wife Victoria Starmer after announcing the timeline for his resignation, following Andy Burnham's decisive victory last week in the Makerfield by-election, outside 10 Downing Street, in London, United Kingdom, on June 22, 2026.
REUTERS/Jack Taylor

After less than two years in office, centrist Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Monday morning that he would resign as Labour Party leader.