HONG KONG ¨C China¡¯s population policy is emerging as a key part of its economic strategy as Beijing rolls out its most wide-ranging push to boost a flagging birth rate, with official population data due on Jan. 19 set to show a fourth consecutive annual drop. Beijing is looking at a total potential cost of around 180 billion yuan ($25.8 billion) in 2026 to boost births, according to estimates, as authorities grapple to undo decades of strict population control that helped tackle poverty but reshaped Chinese ?families.
The estimate includes the cost of the national child subsidy, which was introduced for the first time last year, as well as expected insurance payments. The government pledged ?that women in ?2026 would have ¡°no out-of-pocket expenses¡± during their pregnancy, with all medical costs, including in vitro fertilization, fully reimbursable under its national medical insurance fund.
China¡¯s ?Finance Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the figure, which was in line with economists¡¯ estimates. China¡¯s population has been shrinking since 2022 and is aging rapidly, complicating Beijing¡¯s plan to boost domestic consumption and rein in debt, with hundreds of millions of people set to leave the workforce at a time when pension budgets are already stretched.
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