China has announced how much it will pay its inhabitants to have children, within the first national program to encourage their birth
Children photographed running on a portion of the big wall of China, photo: Abdulhamid Hosbas / AFP / Profimedia Images
China parents will receive 3,600 yuan (around $ 500) per year for each child under the age of three, during the first national payment adopted by Beijing in order to stimulate birth throughout the country, reports Reuters and BBC.
The birth rate in China is decreasing, even after the communist party in government abolished, almost a decade ago, the controversial policy of the single child.
Financial aid will support around 20 million families with expenses related to children, according to the state press.
Several provinces in China have previously tested various forms of payments to encourage people to have more children, in the context in which the second largest economy in the world is facing an imminent demographic crisis.
The scheme, announced on Monday, will provide parents with a total amount of up to 10,800 yuani per child, until it is 3 years old.
According to the public CCTV television station in Beijing, the policy will apply retroactively from the beginning of this year. Families with children born between 2022 and 2024 may also request partial subsidies.
This measure comes in continuing the efforts of the local authorities to increase the birth rate in China.
China cities and provinces have already begun to provide money to parents
In March, the city of Hohhot – located in the northern region of China – began to offer residents up to 100,000 yuan for each child, but only to couples who have at least three children.
Shenyang, a city located northeast of Beijing, offers 500 yuan per month to local families who have a third child under three years.
According to a study by the Yuwa Demographic Research Institute, based in China, the country is among the most expensive places in the world – in relative terms – to have children.
The study shows that the average cost of raising a child up to the age of 17 in China is about $ 75,700.
In January, official data showed that China's population decreased for the third consecutive year in 2024.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, 9.54 million children were born in 2024. This is a slight increase compared to the previous year, but the total population of the country has continued to diminish.
The 1.4 billion inhabitants of China ages rapidly, which accentuates the demographic concerns of Beijing. In 2023, India exceeded China as a number of inhabitants and became the most populated country in the world.
