China’s population continued to decline last year. The number of newborns has almost halved compared to 2016.
In the Chinese city of Xi’an, the authorities have promised to give newly married couples free lottery tickets.
Gifts are used to encourage young people to get married and have children.
In China, population aging and a low birth rate are the country’s most important economic challenges.
China’s population – approximately 1.4 billion – continued to decline in 2023 for the second year in a row. Last year, the country’s population decreased by about two million.
China’s low birth rate is partly explained by the long-standing one-child policy, which has led to a statistical shortage of women in the country.
Economic reasons also explain the decline in the birth rate. In China, raising a child is, in international comparison, very expensive relative to the residents’ wealth.
At the same time, many women postpone getting married or having children because it pushes them away from working life.
Marry, mars!
In Chinese society, there is a close connection between marriages and births.
Children are mostly born in marriage and, for example, social benefits are often limited only to married mothers.
Officials in central China’s Xi’an promised a free lottery ticket to any couple who presented a marriage certificate stamped after March 1.
The authorities characterized the gift as a “double surprise”, news agency Reuters reported.
About 100,000 euros worth of money has been reserved for the project, which will last until the end of November.
Source: Reuters