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| China offers parents $1,500 in bid to boost births | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Parents in China are being offered 3,600 yuan (£375; $500) a year for each of their children under the age of three in the government's first nationwide subsidy aimed at boosting birth rates. | Parents in China are being offered 3,600 yuan (£375; $500) a year for each of their children under the age of three in the government's first nationwide subsidy aimed at boosting birth rates. |
| The country's birth rate has been falling even since the ruling Communist Party abolished its controversial one-child policy almost a decade ago. | The country's birth rate has been falling even since the ruling Communist Party abolished its controversial one-child policy almost a decade ago. |
| The handouts will help around 20 million families with the cost of raising children, according to state media. | The handouts will help around 20 million families with the cost of raising children, according to state media. |
| Several provinces across China have piloted some form of pay outs to encourage people to have more children as the world's second largest economy faces a looming demographic crisis. | Several provinces across China have piloted some form of pay outs to encourage people to have more children as the world's second largest economy faces a looming demographic crisis. |
| The scheme, which was announced on Monday, will offer parents a total of up to 10,800 yuan per child. | The scheme, which was announced on Monday, will offer parents a total of up to 10,800 yuan per child. |
| The policy will be applied retroactively from the start of this year, Beijing's state broadcaster CCTV said. | The policy will be applied retroactively from the start of this year, Beijing's state broadcaster CCTV said. |
| Families with children born between 2022 and 2024 can also apply for partial subsidies. | Families with children born between 2022 and 2024 can also apply for partial subsidies. |
| The move follows efforts by local governments to boost birth rates in China. | |
| In March, Hohhot - a city in the northern region of China - started offering residents up to 100,000 yuan per baby for couples with at least three children. | In March, Hohhot - a city in the northern region of China - started offering residents up to 100,000 yuan per baby for couples with at least three children. |
| Shenyang, a city northeast of Beijing, offers 500 yuan a month to local families with a third child under three. | |
| Last week, Beijing also urged local governments to draft plans for implementing free preschool education. | |
| The country is among the world's most expensive places to have children, in relative terms, according to a study by China-based YuWa Population Research Institute. | |
| Raising a child to the age of 17 in China costs an average of $75,700, the study found. | |
| In January, official figures showed that China's population fell for a third year in a row in 2024. | In January, official figures showed that China's population fell for a third year in a row in 2024. |
| China recorded 9.54 million babies born in 2024, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. | |
| That marked a slight increase from the year before but the country's overall population continued to shrink. | |
| The country's 1.4 billion population is also ageing fast, adding to Beijing's demographic concerns. |