China has announced plans to fully cover childbirth-related costs for families as authorities move to incentivise young couples to have more children.
The administration said it would "improve the level of medical expense coverage for prenatal examinations, striving to achieve 'no out-of-pocket expenses' for childbirth," in a report released on Saturday.
It comes as policy makers intensify efforts to halt a deepening fertility slump that is gradually evolving into a long-term economic risk.
The new plan set to come in to effect from 2026, will ensure that new parents face little to no out-of-pocket expenses for giving birth, marking one of the most ambitious social support measures China has considered in decades.
Under the emerging framework, childbirth services including prenatal check-ups, hospital delivery, postnatal care and essential medical treatments, would be fully reimbursed through public health insurance and fiscal support.
The goal, according to policy discussions and pilot programs in several regions, is to remove financial barriers that discourage couples from having children, particularly in urban areas where medical and living costs are high.
China’s fertility rate has continued to fall despite and reached historic lows despite the formal end of all birth restrictions in 2021.
For many young couples, the cost of childbirth, childcare, education and housing has outweighed policy incentives, leading to delayed marriage, fewer births, or opting out of parenthood altogether.
Economists warn that the demographic downturn poses serious challenges to China’s growth model.
A shrinking workforce, an ageing population and rising dependency ratios are already putting pressure on productivity, pensions and public finances.
Authorities now increasingly frame fertility support not only as a social issue, but as a core economic and national development concern.
The legacy of the one-child policy continues to shape today’s demographic reality.
Enforced for more than three decades, the policy successfully slowed population growth but also entrenched small-family norms, skewed age structures and reduced the number of women of childbearing age.
Reversing those effects has proven far more difficult than lifting restrictions alone.
Authorities previously tried to encourage couples to have babies by expanding maternity leave, financial and tax benefits, and housing subsidies.
If rolled out nationwide, full childbirth cost coverage would represent a significant expansion of China’s welfare system and a clear departure from past population control approaches.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's Civil Contract party has won the Armenian elections, picking up nearly half the vote. With a majority in p...
Uzbekistan and Russia have agreed to deepen cooperation in agriculture, energy and food security following high-level meetings held during the St Pete...
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday that the U.S. would bear direct responsibility for any escalation in West Asia a...
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedric...
Four Palestinians, including an eight-year-old boy, were killed in Israeli strikes across Gaza on Monday (8 June), according to local health officials...
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's Civil Contract party has won the Armenian elections, picking up nearly half the vote. With a majority in parliament, Pashinyan is set for a third term as Prime Minister. But an opposition politican has said he will challenge the election results.
Uzbekistan and Russia have agreed to deepen cooperation in agriculture, energy and food security following high-level meetings held during the St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) 2026.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday that the U.S. would bear direct responsibility for any escalation in West Asia after Iran and Israel resumed strikes for the first time since the April ceasefire.
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz for high-level talks in Westminster focused on ending the war in Ukraine.
Counting is underway in Armenia's elections. The results of the vote are set to determine the political direction of the country of three million people for the next few years. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is hoping to fend off challenges from several pro-Russia candidates to secure a third term.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's Civil Contract party has won the Armenian elections, picking up nearly half the vote. With a majority in parliament, Pashinyan is set for a third term as Prime Minister. But an opposition politican has said he will challenge the election results.
Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry has confirmed the number of casualties its citizens suffered as a result of the 5 June drone attacks on the cargo ships Natra and Zircon in the Sea of Azov. In a statement, it said four Azerbaijani citizens were killed and four others were injured.
The results of Armenia’s parliamentary elections will determine the makeup of the National Assembly and shape the country's political direction for the foreseeable future. But in Armenia, the final result is not decided by vote percentages alone. Here's how it works.
Barcelona is preparing to mark a historic milestone in the legacy of architect Antoni Gaudí as Pope Leo XIV visits the city this week to inaugurate the Tower of Jesus Christ at the Sagrada Família basilica, almost exactly 100 years after the visionary architect’s death.
A U.S. doctor who contracted Ebola while on a humanitarian mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo has recovered and been discharged from a hospital in Germany, according to officials.
Protesters in Nanyuki blocked roads and burned tyres after residents challenged a U.S. plan to house Americans exposed to Ebola at a nearby military base.
Global health organisation CEPI will provide around $60 million to Moderna and two other partners to speed up the development of vaccines targeting the Ebola Bundibugyo strain, which is currently driving an outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo may be significantly larger than official figures suggest, following a visit to the country where he briefed President Felix Tshisekedi on the ongoing response.
Four nurses have recovered and been discharged after receiving treatment for Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment