Why China’s shrinking population is a big deal -- counting the social, economic and political costs of an aging, smaller society

Will an aging, shrinking population put the brakes on economic growth? CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images.

Throughout much of recorded human history, China has boasted the largest population in the world – and until recently, by some margin.

So news that the Chinese population is now in decline, and will sometime later this year be surpassed by that of India, is big news even if long predicted.