China’s birth rate falls despite two-kid policy

BEIJING: China is staring at a “gloomy demographic situation”, with the number of births falling in 2017 compared to the previous year, despite marking two years of the end of the strictly enforced one-child policy, state media reported.

The falling birth rate has raised questions about the efficacy of the current two-child policy, with experts questioning whether it has been implemented years too late.

“With 630,000 fewer babies born in 2017 than the year before, China, the world’s most populous country, is facing a gloomy demographic situation, with many experts doubting the efficacy of the country’s two-child policy,” People’s Daily, the Communist Party of China’s official mouthpiece, reported.

The report quoted data from China’s National Bureau of Statistics that a total of 17.23 million babies were born in 2017, declining from 17.86 million in 2016. In percentage terms, the birth rate dropped from 12.95% to 12.43%.

“The unsatisfying data has fallen short of government estimates, which predicted that the country’s population would rise from 1.39 to 1.45 billion by 2030,” the report said.

About 45% of the babies born in 2016 were to families who already had one child, while the age of first marriage and first childbearing have grown significantly in recent years.

Experts said a primary reason why couples aren’t opting for the second child is the cost factor, especially in cities.