In China, where the birth rate is seriously low, two-child families are decreasing… The ratio of three children increased slightly

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Last year, the number of newborns in China was 9.56 million… Decrease from 10.62 million last year
The proportion of households having a third child increased slightly from 14.5% to 15.0%.
The number of newborns is expected to be 8.5 million this year.

In China, the proportion of families with two children decreased, while the proportion of families with three or more children increased slightly. However, the overall number of newborns is in decline.

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Chinese state-run media Global Times announced this, citing the ‘2022 China Health Development Statistics Bulletin’ published by China’s National Health Commission (NHC) on the 12th.

According to statistics, the number of newborns in mainland China last year was 9.56 million, of which 38.9% were second children and 15% were third or higher children.

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This is a decrease in the number of families with two children compared to the previous year, but an increase in the number of families with three or more children. The number of newborns in 2021 was 10.62 million, with 41.4% being the second child and 14.5% being the third child or higher.

In terms of cases of giving birth to a second child or more, 53.9% of all newborns were born, a decrease from 55.9% the previous year.

Demographer He Yafu analyzed that the decline in newborn births is due to a decline in both the number of women of childbearing age and the birth rate. “The decline in women of childbearing age exposes structural problems in China’s population and will have a significant impact on the population in the long term,” he said.

Also, considering the continued decline in the number of women of childbearing age and the marriage registration rate, the number of babies born this year is expected to be about 8.5 million, a 10% decrease from last year.

However, regarding the slight increase in the third child ratio, he said that the government’s three-child policy is showing some results and that the government should continue to strengthen its childbirth support policy.

According to Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post (SCMP), last year was the first time that the total number of newborns in a year did not exceed 10 million. Looking at the number of second and third births, rather than the ratio, there was a decrease of more than 678,000 and 106,000, respectively, in 2021. The number of first-born children also decreased by more than 276,000.

Last year, China’s population decreased for the first time in 60 years as the number of deaths exceeded the number of births, and the total population decreased by 850,000 to 1.418 billion. SCMP pointed out that China’s birth incentive policy is not working properly.

China has maintained a one-child policy for some time, but due to concerns about low birth rates and an aging population, China allowed children to have up to two children in 2016, and now allows children to have a third child in 2021.

Source: Donga

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