By Ginika Igboke
As China’s population continues to shrink at an accelerating rate, classrooms across the country are increasingly empty, leading to school closures at nearly every level of education.
The effects are particularly visible in northeastern China, once considered the nation’s industrial center. Provinces such as Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning attracted millions of workers during decades of state-driven industrial growth. But prolonged economic stagnation, rising unemployment, and declining marriage and birth rates have significantly altered the region’s demographic landscape.
Several people in China spoke anonymously about the issue due to concerns about possible repercussions.
A teacher in Jilin Province said the drop in student enrollment has become impossible to overlook.
“In one township in northeastern China, there used to be nine elementary schools and four middle schools. Now they’re all gone,” he said.
He added that shrinking student populations are also reducing opportunities for educators, with many teachers facing layoffs, transfers, or leaving the profession altogether.
“Soon there won’t be a need for so many teachers anymore,” he said.
“Five years from now, the number of elementary school students could be cut in half. Middle schools will face the same problem a few years later.”
China’s population has now declined for four straight years, while birth rates have fallen to their lowest levels since the Chinese Communist Party came to power in 1949.
The country’s education system is becoming one of the clearest indicators of this demographic transformation.
School Closures Extend Beyond Rural Areas
Although northeastern China has been among the hardest-hit regions, similar trends are now emerging in major cities such as Beijing and Shanghai. High living costs, economic uncertainty, and shifting social attitudes are leading many younger people to delay or avoid marriage and parenthood.
A resident of Beijing said neither he nor his sister plans to marry due to financial pressures and uncertain job prospects.
“Many young people around us no longer want to get married or have children,” he said.
He noted that neighborhood schools and kindergartens have already begun disappearing as enrollment numbers continue to fall.
“The population is falling off a cliff,” he said. “Elementary schools and kindergartens here have already been merged. Some kindergartens are simply gone because there are no children left.”
In Shanghai, a longtime resident said economic challenges and the effects of China’s strict pandemic-era controls accelerated the demographic decline.
“A lot of nurseries and elementary schools that used to operate have now been merged or shut down,” he said. “People have left. There’s no one left.”
Official figures from China still place the population above 1.4 billion, though some residents believe the true number may be significantly lower.
Chinese media have also reported a growing wave of kindergarten closures nationwide.
According to reports, 54 kindergartens in Shanghai closed during 2024. In the southeastern city of Xiamen, the number of children reportedly dropped by 23,000 between 2024 and 2025, resulting in the closure of 136 kindergartens and the loss of more than 1,000 teaching jobs.
The decline is now extending beyond early childhood and primary education into higher education institutions.
Data from China’s Ministry of Education reportedly showed that universities eliminated 5,345 academic programs between 2020 and 2024. The number of discontinued majors rose sharply during that period, increasing from 518 in 2020 to 1,428 in 2024.
Meanwhile, reports indicate that more than 25 private colleges shut down between 2021 and 2025, reflecting the broader impact of China’s ongoing demographic and economic shifts.
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