A decade after scrapping its long-standing one-child policy, China has rolled out various measures to boost its birth rate. These efforts include financial incentives for families, imposing taxes on contraceptives, and removing levies on matchmakers and childcare services. In a 2016 report released shortly after the policy ended, the Brookings Institution described China’s one-child rule as one of the most damaging examples of poor public policy. Since then, birth rates have fallen to their lowest point since the People’s Republic of China was established in 1949. In 2025, only 5.63 births were recorded per 1,000 people, the lowest figure ever, while just 7.92 million babies were born last year. This marked a sharp drop of 1.62 million births, or 17 per cent, compared to 2024.
The decline erased the slight and short-lived rise seen the previous year, showing that China’s long-term downward trend in births remains firmly in place after seven straight years of decreases up to 2023. China, once the most populous nation in the world, was overtaken by its regional rival India in 2023. Many families point to the high cost of living, heavy academic demands, and the financial burden of raising children in a highly competitive society as reasons for postponing or avoiding having kids.
As one analyst explained, the deeper structural challenges such as housing, employment, starting a career, and education expectations are much harder to fix. Until these issues are addressed, it will be difficult to bring about any major increase in birth rates.
Source: https://m.lindaikejisblog.com/
