Covid pandemic made China's population crisis worse: Report

China, which has been facing a steady fall in its birth rates since 2017, claims that the coronavirus pandemic has contributed to the downward trend.

The country's National Health Commission stated that COVID-19 has contributed to the nation's declining marriage and birth rates.

"The coronavirus has also had a clear impact on the marriage and childbirth arrangements of some people," said the commission, responding to questions from Reuters.

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According to the report, many women are still delaying their plans to get married or have kids, even though swift social and economic transformation has brought about "deep shifts".

Young people moving to metropolitan areas, spending more time in school, and having demanding jobs have all contributed, it said.

According to demographers, China's staunch "zero-COVID" policy, "with (its) strict controls on people's lives may have caused profound, lasting damage on their desire to have children."

Demographers predict that the number of births in the country will plummet to historic lows this year, dropping from 10.6 million newborns in 2018 to less than 10 million this year.

In 2021, China's fertility rate was 1.16, one of the lowest rates recorded globally.As per OECD for a stable population, a fertility rate of 2.1 is necessary.

Beijing, which implemented a one-child policy from 1980 to 2015, has acknowledged that its population is in danger of declining, posing a challenge to the country's ability to support and care for its elderly.

Recently the country has introduced a spate of programmes to encourage childbirth,including maternity leaves, preferential housing & tax policies, and prenatal and post-natal care.

(With inputs from agencies)

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