China's birth rate fell to its lowest level in decades last year, new figures reveal.

It stood at 10.94 per thousand in 2018, compared to 12.43 per thousand in 2017, according to data released by the country's statistics bureau.

It has never been lower in the history of the People's Republic of China, which was founded in 1949.

The new figures mean that 2 million fewer babies were born in China in 2018.

Figures also show that the rate of natural increase in population, deducting the number of deaths, has also slowed.

Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world Show all 43 1 /43 Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world Performers take part in a fire dragon dance under a shower of molten iron sparks on the first day of the Chinese Lunar New Year of the Pig, in Zaozhuang REUTERS Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world Filipino-Chinese children display piggy banks at the start of celebrations for Lunar New Year in Chinatown, Manila, Philippines AP Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world A lion dance troupe performs among visitors jostling for freebies thrown to them during celebrations for the Lunar New Year of the Pig in Manila's Chinatown district AFP/Getty Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world People buy flowers at a New Year market in Hong Kong's Victoria Park AP/Vincent Yu Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world Performers take part in a night parade to celebrate Chinese New Year in Hong Kong AP Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world Lion dancers dance around firecrackers as they explode in the street while ushering in Chinese New Year in San Francisco, California Getty Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world People look at festive New Year pig ornaments in the China Town area of London AFP/Getty Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world Drummers perform in front of a mural reading "2019" at a temple fair at Longtan Park in Beijing AP Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world Performers take part in a night parade to celebrate Chinese New Year in Hong Kong, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019. The Lunar New Year this year marks the Year of the Pig in the Chinese calendar. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu) Vincent Yu AP Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world A performer blows fire during Chinese New Year celebrations at Manila's Chinatown Reuters Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world HONG KONG, HONG KONG - FEBRUARY 05: Comparsa Tymbalia from Spain during the Cathay Pacific International Chinese New Year Night Parade on February 5, 2019 in Hong Kong, Hong Kong. (Photo by Ivan Abreu/Getty Images for Hong Kong Tourism Board) Ivan Abreu (Credit too long, see caption) Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world A performer takes part in a night parade to celebrate Chinese New Year in Hong Kong, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019. The Lunar New Year this year marks the Year of the Pig in the Chinese calendar. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu) Vincent Yu AP Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world Dancers perform a Dragon dance next to revelers in Manila EPA Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world anterns are carried through the streets to be hung on Chinese New Year in Chinatown in London Getty Images Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world Diners take part in the largest yum cha meal in Sydney, Australia EPA Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world Children celebrate the Lunar New Year in Chinatown in New York Getty Images Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world A crowd jostles to grab items being thrown at them during celebrations AP Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world Performers take part in a Chinese New Year parade in Tsim Sha Tsui EPA Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world HONG KONG, HONG KONG - FEBRUARY 05: Korea National University of Arts performance during the Cathay Pacific International Chinese New Year Night Parade on February 5, 2019 in Hong Kong, Hong Kong. (Photo by Ivan Abreu/Getty Images for Hong Kong Tourism Board) Ivan Abreu (Credit too long, see caption) Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world HONG KONG, HONG KONG - FEBRUARY 05: Cape Town Carnival from South Africa during the Cathay Pacific International Chinese New Year Night Parade on February 5, 2019 in Hong Kong, Hong Kong. (Photo by Ivan Abreu/Getty Images for Hong Kong Tourism Board) Ivan Abreu (Credit too long, see caption) Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world HONG KONG, HONG KONG - FEBRUARY 05: Dancers from the Korean National University of the Arts perform at the Cathay Pacific International Chinese New Year Night Parade on February 5, 2019 in Hong Kong, Hong Kong. (Photo by Theodore Kaye/Getty Images for Hong Kong Tourism Board) Theodore Kaye (Credit too long, see caption) Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world Dancers in traditional ethnic clothing perform at a temple fair at Longtan Park in Beijing, Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2019. Chinese people are celebrating the second day of the Lunar New Year on Tuesday, the Year of the Pig on the Chinese zodiac. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) Mark Schiefelbein AP Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world Girls react to a squealing Teacup pig, a rare pet in the Philippines, at the start of celebrations leading to the Chinese New Year at Manila's Lucky Chinatown Plaza in Manila AP/Bullit Marquez Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world A family poses in front of red lanterns on display at the Longtan Park for a temple fair ahead of Chinese Lunar New Year in Beijing, China AP/Andy Wong Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world Vendors carrying pig-shaped balloons for sale to mark the Lunar New Year in Hanoi, Vietnam AP/Hau Dinh Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world A vendor packs sweets at the Dihua Street market in Taipei, Taiwan on 29 January. Taiwanese shoppers started hunting for delicacies, dried goods, and other bargains at the market ahead of the Lunar New Year AP/Chiang Ying-ying Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world Women take a selfie near a tree decorated with red lanterns AP/Andy Wong Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world An ethnic Chinese-Thai man offers flowers after prayers at the Leng Nuei Yee Chinese temple AP/Sakchai Lalit Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world Two divers perform an underwater Chinese Lion Dance ahead of Chinese New Year celebrations at Aquaria KLCC underwater park in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 30 January AP/Vincent Thian Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world Travellers wait for their trains at a railway station in Hangzhou in east China's Zhejiang province on 28 January. The world's largest annual migration has begun in China with millions of Chinese travelling to their hometowns to celebrate the Lunar New Year Chinatopix via AP Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world Dancers perform the dragon dance in during new year celebrations in the Chinatown disctrict of Manila, Philippines AP Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world Lion dancers perform on the glass deck of the King Power Mahanakhon building, Thailand's tallest, in Bangkok AP Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world Chinese performers dressed in traditional costumes attend a rehearsal of a reenactment of a Qing dynasty (1636-1912) imperial sacrifice ritual to worship the Earth, on the eve of the Chinese New Year, at Ditan Park in Beijing EPA Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world A woman takes a photo in a sculpture made of pigs as part of celebrations for the Year of the Pig in Sydney, Australia EPA Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world Year of the Pig merchandise for sale at a market in Phnom Penh, Cambodia EPA Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world A diver wearing a traditional Chinese outfit feeds fish on the eve of Chinese New Year in Manila, Philippines EPA Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world Fireworks explode behind the Sydney Opera House as it glows red as part of celebrations for Chinese New Year of the pig, in Sydney, Australia EPA Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world Men perform a dragon dance called Liong ahead of Chinese New Year during the Grebeg Suro ceremony in Solo, Central Java province, Indonesia Reuters Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world Performers rehearse a re-enactment of a Chinese New Year Qing Dynasty ceremony at the Temple of Earth in Ditan Park in Beijing Reuters Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world Lion dancers pose on the glass deck of the King Power Mahanakhon building, Thailand's tallest, in Bangkok AP Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world A Malaysian ethnic Chinese family take a selfie a temple in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia AP Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world Indonesian ethnic Chinese people carry offerings during Chinese New Year celebrations at a temple in Kuta, Bali, Indonesia EPA Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world A tourist walks under decorative lanterns ahead of the upcoming Chinese New Year celebrations at Thean Hou Temple in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia EPA

It is now at its lowest level since the aftermath of a famine in the early 1960s.

China relaxed its notorious one child policy in 2016 by allowing urban couples to have two children, but the new rules have done little to encourage more births.

The policy change was spurred by fears about the country's increasingly ageing population.

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China's statistics bureau did not suggest a reason for the rate's fall, but in 2018 economic growth in the country fell to its lowest in nearly 30 years.

Many couples are reluctant to have children due to high property prices and soaring healthcare and education costs.

In January, a government-affiliated think tank warned that the population in the world’s second-biggest economy could start to shrink as soon as 2027.