The Chinese National Health Commission said that COVID-19 has contributed to a decline in marriages and the country’s birthrate that has accelerated in the past few years due to the high costs of education and child-rearing.
Many women are continuing to delay their plans to marry or have children, it said, adding that rapid economic and social developments have led to “profound changes”.
Young people relocating to urban areas, more time spent on education and high-pressure work environments have also played their part, it added.
Photo: AP
Demographers have also said that China’s uncompromising “zero COVID-19” policy of promptly stamping out any outbreaks with strict controls on people’s lives might have caused profound, lasting damage on their desire to have children.
“The coronavirus has also had a clear impact on the marriage and childbirth arrangements of some people,” the commission said.
The comments were sent to Reuters by fax late on Monday in response to questions on the topic.
New births in China are set to fall to record lows this year, demographers say, with forecasts calling for a drop to fewer than 10 million babies compared with last year’s 10.6 million — a level 11.5 percent lower than in 2020.
China had a fertility rate of 1.16 last year, one of the lowest rates in the world and below the 2.1 rate the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development sees as necessary for a stable population. Having imposed a one-child policy from 1980 to 2015, China has acknowledged its population is on brink of shrinking — a potential crisis that would test its ability to pay and care for its older population.
To counter the problem, authorities at national and provincial levels have over the past year introduced measures such as tax breaks, longer maternity leave, enhanced medical insurance, housing subsidies and extra money for a third child.
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