Peace Without Poison

macaUMacau, a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China, began covertdepopulation measures in 1957 while a Portuguese colony and its total fertility rate stood at 5children per woman. By 1971 it reached replacement level fertility and by 1977 a low of 1.5children per woman, at which point the sterilizants were relaxed so fertility could bounce backup to replacement level. Between 1981 and 1988 Macau was kept at replacement level fertilitybut then the sterilizants were intensified again and by the time Macau was handed over to Chinain 1999 fertility stood at just 1 child per woman. Under Chinese administration fertility declinedeven further and reached a lowest low of 0.8 children per woman in 2003 and has since risenslightly to 0.9 children per woman. Macau has the distinction of having the lowest total fertilityrate in the world (along with Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong) and the highest life expectancyas well as the highest per capita income.Macau is in stage five of the demographic transition.978 | P a g e