China's two-child policy runs out of gas

Births fell 10% in 2022 as share of 2nd babies declined

20231013 Caixin baby

A new born baby at a hospital in Lianyungang, Jiangsu province, on Jan. 1, 2023.

XU WEN and DENISE JIA, Caixin

Fewer Chinese families gave birth to a second child last year, signaling the fading effects of China's two-child policy initiated in 2016.

A total of 9.56 million babies were born in China in 2022, the National Health Commission said Thursday. That was down 10% from the previous year, and births are projected to continue declining despite the government's efforts to shift away from birth restrictions to encouraging all couples to have three children.

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