Against the backdrop of a steadily declining birth rate, the People’s Republic of China is implementing new and serious measures aimed at increasing the population. According to a new decision, parents will receive financial assistance of 3,600 yuan (approximately $500 USD) per year for each child under the age of three. This was officially reported by the Xinhua agency.
It is noted that this initiative marks the first nationwide child benefit program in China's history. The primary goal is to support families with children and to raise the birth rate. It is estimated that nearly 20 million families will receive this allowance annually.
This is not the first attempt by the Chinese government to boost birth rates. As a reminder, the "one family — one child" policy introduced in the 1970s remained in effect until 2015. Since then, the Chinese government has been actively promoting various initiatives to encourage childbirth.
In addition to material support, the government is also running ideological and social campaigns aimed at changing public attitudes toward marriage and childbirth. For example, party meetings promote the idea of “getting married and having children,” encouraging single individuals to marry and families to have more children.
Nevertheless, according to official data, the birth rate in China declined for the third consecutive year by the end of 2024. This highlights the need to intensify efforts to combat the country's aging population trend.
Experts believe that sustainable increases in birth rates require more than financial incentives — development of social infrastructure such as kindergartens, schools, quality medical services, and support mechanisms for women to balance work and family life are also essential.
The editorial team at Zamin.uz is closely monitoring China’s new steps in demographic policy and will continue analyzing how such global changes could affect Uzbekistan and other countries.
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