Beijing

In an attempt to incentivise young people to get married and have kids, a county in eastern China is offering couples a “reward” of 1,000 yuan ($137) if the bride is aged 25 or younger. China is currently battling a declining birthrate crisis and the government is rolling out lucrative schemes to encourage young people to have more kids. 

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The recent scheme has been launched in Changshan county where the authorities made the announcement on the official WeChat account last week. According to a Reuters report, the reward is to promote “age-appropriate marriage and childbearing” for first marriages. Apart from the monetary benefit, the scheme includes childcare, fertility and education subsidies for couples who have children.

Why is China launching such programmes?

According to the Ministry of Civil Affairs, only 6.83 million couples completed their marriage registrations in 2022, down about 800,000 from the previous year. The number of marriages last year was nearly half the peak of 13.47 million in 2013.

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Official numbers released by the National Bureau of Statistics earlier this year stated that China's population declined by 850,000 between the end of 2021 and 2022. Even for a country as big as China, the number is slightly concerning - for it suggests that there is a slow but steady demographic shift happening. 

A Pew Research report has stated that China has 14 per cent population above the age of 65. By 2035, a third of China's population (400 million people) is expected to be above the age of 60. With an ageing population, it will become increasingly difficult for the 'world's factory' to keep churning out goods at the same rate. 

Watch | Chinese city launches state-sponsored dating app

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China’s fertility rate, already one of the world’s lowest, is estimated to have dropped to a record low of 1.09 in 2022, state media reported. Consequently, the Politburo has swiftly dialled down its 'One-Child policy' which perhaps started the decline in population in the first place. 

The second reason for the decline in marriages is the changing attitudes towards the institution, especially among young women who are becoming more educated and financially independent.

Also read | China: Marriages drop to historic low as nation deals with declining birth rate

While China ages, rival India and its population under 65 will remain less than 30 per cent till the year 2100, according to UN’s medium variant projections. 

(With inputs from agencies)

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