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Explainer | Three-child policy: how many children can you have in China?
- China’s one-child policy started in 1980 and was strictly enforced before it was officially ended in January 2016 in favour of a two-child policy
- Responding to its 2020 census results, China introduced a three-child policy in May 2021 after Chinese mothers gave birth to just 12 million babies in 2020
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What is China’s three-child policy?
China's three-child policy was introduced after Chinese mothers gave birth to just 12 million babies in 2020, adding to existing population concerns.
On May 31, 2021, China’s Communist Party Politburo meeting, chaired by President Xi Jinping, announced it will allow each couple in the country to have up to three children in a marked departure from its previous two-child limit.
A statement released after the meeting said major steps were needed to address the deepening problem of the ageing population.
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“Birth policies will be further improved. A policy that allows a couple to have three children will be introduced with supporting measures,” it said.
“This will improve the population structure of China.”
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The regulation was passed at a meeting of the country's top lawmakers, the National People's Congress (NPC), on August 20, 2021.
02:04
China expands two-child policy to three
China expands two-child policy to three
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