China dangles $1,500 to parents to boost birth rates

International

TO HELP address its looming demographic crisis, China is offering 3,600 yuan ($500) a year for each of their children aged three years old.

The cash incentives were offered amid the continued decline of the country’s birth rate. In 2024, 9.54 million babies were registered but in the same year, China’s population declined for three years in a row.

Aside from the demographic issues, the 1.4 billion country population is also rapidly ageing, a report by BBC said.

A total of 10,600 yuan per child will be offered to parents. About 20 million families that will be aided by this proposal

Babies born between the years of 2022 and 2024 are still eligible to apply for partial grants.

According to BBC News, Hohhot and Shenyang were the first few provinces in China that have piloted this scheme by providing the compensation to urge the residents to have more offspring to boost its population growth.

Local governments in Beijing are encouraged to make plans for implementing nursery education.

Hohhot has started offering its residents up to 100,00 yuan to every baby in a family with three children.

Shenyang offers 500 yuan every month to local families with a third child aged below three.(Theressa Faye Lacandazo, USC Comm Intern)