Even as the world reaches daunting eight billion population, China frets over low number of children

Beijing, China

Even as the world marked the daunting milestone of eight million population, China which was once preoccupied with the prospect of a runaway population is now fretting over its low number of childbirths.

For more than three decades, from 1980 to 2015, the nation had enforced a strict one-child policy, however, now faces the looming prospect of an ageing population and low fertility rate.

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As per Reuters, in 2021, China's fertility rate stood at 1.16, way below the 2.1 pegged by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) as the standard for a stable population. In fact, it was among the lowest in the world.

New births this year are set to fall to a record low. In 2021, the nation saw 10.6 million births, which was also an 11.5 per cent plunge from 2020's numbers. In 2020, the number is expected to fall further to 10 million.

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United Nations expects that the nation's population will undergo a shrinking starting next year, and India will likely become the world's most populous country.

The COVID pandemic and China's strict COVID-Zero policy were profound reasons behind this fall, additionally, the high cost of childcare is another major deterrent. Alarmed by the ageing population with people over 65 now counting for 13 per cent of the population, Beijing from last year has begun allowing up to three children.

Additionally, the nation is also offering tax breaks, cash handouts, housing subsidies, medical insurance and generous maternity leave, but demographers say that these measures just aren't cutting it. Low job prospects are one thing plaguing expectant parents. As Stuart Gietel Basten, professor at Hong Kong’s University of Science and Technology puts it "Why would you have more babies when the people you have cannot even get jobs?"

(With inputs from agencies)

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