A major shift has occurred in China's demographic policy in recent decades. Priorities have switched from controlling runaway population growth to encouraging fertility, largely to address challenges such as a declining birth rate, an aging population and the economic ramifications of these trends. 

In late October, the Central Government doubled down on its efforts to foster a birth-friendly society, announcing new policies including strengthening support for families with multiple children to purchase homes and encouraging employers to adopt flexible working hours so that employees can better take care of their families.

In recent years, local governments across China have put in place a series of stimulus measures, including financial incentives and extended marriage and maternity leaves. Some cities have reported year-on-year increase in births this year, reversing a downward spiral over the past several years.

For much of the late 20th century, China's family-planning policy limited couples to having one child, though exceptions were made for certain groups such as ethnic minorities. It proved effective in slowing overall population growth, thus helping alleviate pressures on China's resources and the environment and contributing to improvements in living conditions. By the early 21st century, however, major changes had taken place in China's demographic landscape, and the shrinking workforce and aging population began to pose challenges.

In response, the Chinese Government has taken incremental steps to adjust the family-planning policy, beginning by allowing couples who were both only children themselves to have two children. On January 1, 2016, a two-child policy officially went into force, allowing all couples to have two children. In 2021, the government announced a three-child policy, under which couples can have up to three children.

This shift has been complemented by a host of supportive measures aimed at reducing burdens of child rearing. The government's push to boost fertility also includes promoting gender equality and supporting working mothers, making it easier for women to have more children without sacrificing their career aspirations.

However, changing attitudes toward family size, coupled with high living costs and concerns about their children's education, housing and employment, continue to deter many parents from giving birth to more. China is likely to persist in alleviating these concerns by building a more birth-friendly society, in order to optimize the demographic structure and ensure long-term economic and social progress.