Drop in China’s fertility rate; what’s the reason?

China’s fertility rate is expected to fall to an all-time low of 1.09 in 2022, according to the National Business Daily, citing data from China’s Population and Development Research Centre, as Beijing attempts to increase the country’s dropping number of new births. 

As a result, China has the lowest fertility rate among countries with populations greater than 100 million. China already has one of the world’s lowest fertility rates, along with South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore.

China’s fertility rate drop:

Following China’s first population dip in six decades and its rapidly ageing population, Beijing has been trying with measures such as financial incentives and increased childcare facilities to increase birth rates. 

China has stated that it will prioritise education, research, and technology to increase population quality and maintain “moderate fertility” to promote economic growth.

What’s the reason behind the population drop?

Experts say that high childcare expenditures and limited professional prospects after having a child have put many women off having more children, if they have any at all because gender discrimination and old ideas of women caring for their children are still prevalent across the country. Most provinces in the country still limit paternity leave.

According to the Hong Kong Family Planning Association, the proportion of childless women in the special Chinese administrative area has more than doubled in the last five years, reaching 43.2% last year. 

According to the poll, the percentage of couples with one or two children has also decreased, and the average number of children per woman has declined from 1.3 in 2017 to a record low of 0.9 last year.

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