Analyst reports project that China's population could decline by 60 million over the next decade. This significant loss threatens economic activity, particularly in the wealthier coastal provinces, and pressures the national pension system.

China’s population is projected to fall by about 60 million over the next decade, threatening economic activity in wealthier coastal provinces and putting growing pressure on the public pension system, according to recent analyst reports. Research firm Rhodium Group estimated that the world’s second-most populous country, after India, could lose the equivalent of nearly France’s entire population over the coming 10 years. In a nation of 1.41 billion people, a decline of this scale would weigh on...