"China's Superpower Status at Risk: Population Could Plummet by a Billion as Xi Jinping's Deceptions Come to Light"

CHINA’S superpower status could soon crumble – with its population on track to plummet by over a billion in the coming decades.

‘s regime is set to be exposed on the world stage as years of deceit, inflated numbers and worrying demographic shifts finally take their toll, experts warn.

China’s population is on track to plummet by over a billion in the coming decades Credit: Getty China’s birth rates are dropping year-on-year Credit: Reuters XI Jinping’s regime is set to be exposed on the world stage as years of deceit, inflated numbers and worrying demographic shifts finally take their toll, an expert told The Sun Credit: Getty

Worrying statistics show that the population could drop from 1.4billion to 390 million in less than 75 year if China’s birth rates continue to plunge as death rates surge at their current rate.

A top Chinese demographer has accused of lying about how many people live in the country and warned even tyrant leader Xi is helpless to stop his nation’s eventual decline.

Yi Fuxian, a leading critic of ‘s one-child policy, has been exposing his home nation’s population woes for years.

In a bid to stifle his warnings, his work has been banned from bookshelves across China.

Professor Yi told The Sun: “Avoiding demographic and civilisation collapse requires nothing less than a social, economic, cultural, and political paradigm shift.”

“More than three decades of collective malfeasance by Chinese officials and demographers have so muddied the demographic data.

“No one – not even top-level officials like President Xi Jinping – know the real numbers, and much less understand the severity of the demographic crisis.”

As of early 2026, China claims to have over 1.4 billion residents, per official national records.

China recorded a historic low in births in 2024, sitting at only 7.92 million – the lowest since 1939 (stock) Credit: Getty

But Yi and many demographers believe this figure is on track to rapidly drop due to the high number of elderly Chinese citizens and falling birth rates.

As of 2026, the median age in China is around 40-years-old with an estimated 15 per cent of citizens being over 65-years-old.

These figures are around the average for a major . But below the surface, the figures are a cause for concern.

China recorded a historic low in births in 2024, sitting at only 7.92 million – the lowest since 1939.

Yi claims that China’s projection of power is based on its population size and that once it begins to rapidly drop countries like the US will grow in strength Credit: Getty For decades, Chinese mothers were only allowed to have one child Credit: AFP – Getty

Back then the population sat at just over 500 million.

China also has one of the lowest rates in the world, at around just – far below the average replacement rate of 2.1 per woman.

Declining births is a trend which has in China – with little sign of improving in the near future.

In a chilling prediction, Yi says: “Assuming China is lucky enough to stabilise its fertility rate at 1.0, its population will fall to 1.06 billion in 2050 and 390 million in 2100.”

Current predictions state that if China continues on such a historic period of turmoil then 450 million people – around a third of its population – will be aged over 60 by 2035 Credit: Getty

Another major knock-on effect of the falling birth rates is the average age of residents shooting up.

Current predictions state that if China continues on such a historic period of turmoil then 450 million people – around a third of its population – will be aged over 60 by 2035.

Government data from 2025 also shows China’s death rate rose to 8.04 per 1,000 people – the highest since 1968.

Yi says this population crisis all falls at the feet of Xi and his government.

“Chinese leaders need to wake up from their unrealistic ‘Chinese Dream’ of national rejuvenation,” he says.

“They must face up to the cruel demographic reality, and fix their fatal flaws to avoid the collapse of its population and civilisation.”

Yi claims the figures behind China’s population are all inflated for Beijing’s gain.

For decades, China was the biggest country on the planet and grew into a superpower partly due to their size.

China still boasts the second most populated country on the planet Credit: Getty

But as its population started to drop, they were surpassed by a growing India in April 2023.

If Yi and other demographer’s predictions come true then it will mark the start of Beijing’s demise as a superpower, he says.

“All of China’s economic, foreign, and defense policies as well as those of the US and other countries towards China are all based on faulty demographic data,” Yi said.

“Western countries have been misled by China’s inflated demographic and economic data.

“They have been relying on frameworks such as the Thucydides Trap to guide their China policy – thereby contributing to a deterioration in bilateral relations.”

This idea of Thucydides reared its head during ‘s back in May.

A cunning Xi where he posed the question of “whether the two countries can transcend the ‘Thucydides Trap’”.

The remark is a reference to ancient Greek times about the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta.

Thucydides Trap is more commonly used today about how rising powers can clash with an existing one, resulting in war.

Ancient historian Thucydides wrote during the conflict: “It was the rise of Athens, and the fear that rise engendered in Sparta, that made war inevitable.”

Xi is accused of scaring other nations into agreeing to their diplomatic demands over fears that China is on the rise and they are on the decline, Yi says.

But Yi says this age-old Chinese trick shows Xi is not as powerful as he appears.

“If the US was to recognise the true severity of China’s population crisis, they would inevitably adjust their bilateral relationship,” Yi said.

“Aging and labor force contraction make it impossible for China’s economy to surpass that of the United States.”

The Chinese government has tried to introduce policies to address the population crisis without formally acknowledging it publicly.

They are trying to lower the costs of parenting and education by providing maternity subsidies, tax breaks, affordable childcare and extended parental leave.

But it might not be enough to save the nation from a growing population crisis – and its demise on the world stage.