Opinion | A loneliness crisis is the price China is paying for rapid modernisation

As the Year of the Snake ends, more than 9 billion passenger journeys will unfold during China’s Spring Festival travel period, the greatest annual human migration on Earth. For some, these are the only few weeks in the year when families are together.

For many, this is a period when they can find temporary relief from loneliness – from the striving and adjusting, even if not yet assimilating, in the cities where they work, far from their hometowns. The lucky ones, who can make ends meet and are not weighed down by economic pressures, can enjoy a moment of community before returning to a burdensome reality.

According to Gallup research from 2023, the prevalence of loneliness in China (23 per cent) was comparable to South Korea (21 per cent) and India (25 per cent) but much higher than Japan (14 per cent). Building on Gallup’s data and referencing a World Health Organization analysis of 23 data sets, The Economist recently highlighted China as an exceptionally lonely place.

China’s one-child policy has been singled out as a cause of this wave of loneliness, but that might not hold in light of international comparisons. Japan, which has a comparable total fertility rate to China, is less lonely.

China’s gruelling 996 work culture – working 9am to 9pm six days a week, leaving little time for social life – is another commonly cited culprit. However, Japan was once famous for karoshi – death from overwork – but is less lonely. In addition, both Japan and South Korea have introduced legislation that puts restrictions on the maximum hours for workers since 2018.