China has allowed couples to have up to three children, after recent census data showed a steep decline in birth rates.
- China scrapped its decades-old one-child policy in 2016, replacing it with a two-child limit which has failed to lead to a sustained upsurge in births. While the relaxation in 2016 did result in some improvement in the proportion of young people in the country, the policy change was deemed insufficient in averting an impending demographic crisis.
- The cost of raising children in cities has deterred many Chinese couples.
- The census, released in May 2021, showed that around 12 million babies were born in 2020 – a significant decrease from the 18 million in 2016, and the lowest number of births recorded since the 1960s.
- China’s population trends have over the years been largely shaped by the one-child policy, which was introduced by then-leader Deng Xiaopin in 1979 to slow population growth.
- Families that violated the rules faced fines, loss of employment and sometimes forced abortions.
- The one-child policy also led to a severe gender imbalance in the country.
