China second-costliest country to raise a child: Report

China, which has beenthe most populous country in the world for long, has got another tag, that of being the second-costliestcountry to raise a child. A research report cited by South China Morning Post (SCMP)has called for support for couples raising children. China's birth rate is flagging, perceived by many to be an aftereffect of the now-abandoned One-Child Policy.

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The study by YuWa Population Research Institute says that the cost of raising a child in China is 6.9 per cent of per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP). China was behind South Korea in this regard. The study found that South Korea was the toughest country to raise children in. The cost of raising a child till the age of 18 was found to be 7.79 times its per capita GDP.

For Germany, the number was at 3.64 times per capita GDP. For Australia and France, it was 2.08 and 2.24 respectively.

This means that the cost of raising a child in China was double that in Germany and more than triple than that in Australia and France.

“The high cost of childbearing is one of the most important factors affecting the willingness of families of childbearing age to bear children,” the report said, as quoted by SCMP.

“To this end, policies to reduce childbearing costs for families of childbearing age need to be introduced at the national level.

“Specific measures include cash and tax subsidies, house purchase subsidies, building more nurseries, providing gender-equal maternity leave, introducing foreign nannies, promoting flexible working styles, guaranteeing the reproductive rights of single women, allowing assisted reproductive technology and reforming the college entrance examination and school system,” the report added.

As reported by SCMP, China's National Health and Family Planning Commission reportedin 2017 that 77.4 per cent of women of childbearing age said that they faced "heavy economic burdens" and this was the reason why they felt they should not have more children

According to the YuWa report, a couple had to spend an average of 485,000 yuan (USD 69,430) while raising a child from birth to 17 years of age. The cost of raising a child to college graduation is about 627,000 yuan.

China's National Bureau of Statistics says that the average Chinese worker earns 105,000 yuan a year.

A rural-urban divide has also been seen. If a couple wants to raise a child in big cities like Beijing and Shanghai, they will have to spend 969,000 and 1,026,000 yuan, respectively. But if a couple in Tibet is to raise a child, they will have to spend 293,000 yuan.

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