Beijing, Jan 4 (IANS): The Chinese population is expected to reach its peak in 2029 and start declining from 2030, according to a report published by People's Daily on Friday.

The "Green Book of Population and Labour" report by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences said that in 2029, China's population will be 1.44 billion and will start declining from the following year onward.

China's population in 2050 is expected to reduce to 1.36 billion and around 1.25 billion in 2065, similar to that of the year 1999, Efe news reported citing the daily.

The report, however, said if the total fertility rate is maintained at 1.6, the negative population growth is likely to begin in 2027 "with a potential total population of 1.17 billion, which is equivalent to the year 1990", according to People's Daily.

China is aware of the demographic risks and has taken measures to put an end to the one child policy, allowing second child from 2015 onward, to avoid population ageing.

In 2017, the number of second children rose to 8.83 million.

However, the experts recently warned that the number of births in China in 2018 was the lowest since 2000. Some 15 million births in 2018 indicate a decline of nearly 15 per cent as compared to 2017.