In 1979, China enacted the now-infamous “One Child Policy,” legislation that restricted families in China to having and raising only one child. The law was designed to slow China’s exponential population growth, for fear that it would outpace the country’s economic growth. The law was immensely impactful, with largely negative consequences for the Chinese, and was repealed in 2015.
How fast was the population growing? Did China need this policy? Below, calculate the CBR, CDR, and NIR for China right before the law was passed.
