The inability to afford childcare, increasing living costs and long hours of work have been listed as one reason that makes young Chinese wary of having children or even multiple children. In the most recent estimate, released in November 2020, China’s government stated that it expected China’s population to reach its peak in 2027. However, He Yafu, an independent expert on China’s demographics, believes that the population will begin to decline in 2022 as the number of babies born decreases to close to 10 million while the death toll rises to 10 million.