China began to implement the family planning policy in the early 1970s. From the early 1970s to 2000, each couple was encouraged to have one child in order to control the population by reducing women's fertility level. By the year 2000, this goal had been basically achieved. However, the decline in fertility was mainly achieved by administrative and social constraints. From 2000 to 2006, China decreed to stabilize the low fertility level, rather than further reduce the fertility level.

On April 17, 2021, the two-day "2021 Spartan Kids Race" kicks off in Shanghai, with participants of nearly 7,000 children. [Photo by Tang Yanjun/China News Service]

After 2006, China's fertility level had been basically stable, but many other population problems have emerged. While working to stabilize the low fertility level, China worked to make overall plans for population issues and promote the all-round development of people.

In the past 10 years, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and president of the People's Republic of China, has been encouraging the Chinese couples to have two or more children.

With a sound grasp of the rules governing population development and a focus on holistic modernization, strategic decisions have been made to gradually adjust and improve birth policy and promote the long-term balanced population development.

"We will improve the population development strategy, establish a policy system to boost birth rates and bring down the costs of pregnancy and childbirth, child rearing and schooling." Xi made the statement in his report to the 20th CPC National Congress in October 2022.

Population work in past decade

According to the seventh national census (released in May 2022), the ratio of non-single children among newborns has risen from around 35% to over 55%, and the sex ratio of newborns has fallen from 118 boys for every 100 girls in 2010 to a more normal level, about 111 boys for every 100 girls in 2020; compared with 2011, the maternal mortality has been down 38%, the infant mortality 58%, and the mortality of children aged under five 54% in 2021.