From lowering marriage age to 16, to more subsidies, China weighs fixes for falling births

BEIJING – As China’s birth rate sinks to record lows, delegates at the country’s ongoing parliamentary meetings have thrown up a slew of suggestions to nudge young people towards marriage and parenthood.

Proposals raised during the meetings held since March 4 include lowering the minimum marriage age for women from 20 to 16 and raising childcare subsidies for families with three or more children to 5,000 yuan (S$930) a month.

The latest official data in January showed that China registered its lowest birth rate on record in 2025, with 5.63 births per 1,000 people, down from the previous low of 6.39 in 2023. With the death rate rising to 8.04 per 1,000 people, the population fell 3.39 million to 1.4 billion.

To boost birth rates, China from 2025 rolled out a subsidy of 300 yuan each month to every child below the age of three. This has benefited about 33 million families so far, Health Minister Lei Haichao said on March 7, during a press conference about improving livelihoods in China.

The session is held annually on the sidelines of the parliamentary meetings, covering topics from healthcare to employment to education.

“While 300 yuan helps families in raising children, (the amount) represents a massive fiscal commitment on a national scale,” said Mr Lei, underscoring China’s determined drive to encourage childbirths.

“For last year alone, 890,000 affordable childcare slots were added, bringing the national total to 6.6 million,” he added. 

Mr Pang Yonghui, a popular ceramics artist and a representative of the National People’s Congress, raised the idea of increasing the subsidies on March 5. He suggested 1,000 yuan a month for families with one child, 3,000 yuan for two children, 5,000 yuan for three or more children, until the children turn three.

“Childcare subsidies are not merely a livelihood benefit – they are a strategic investment in the momentum of our future development,” he said.

One delegate suggested setting up an additional pension fund for mothers to ensure retirement adequacy for those who took time off to raise children.

Another delegate said universities can do more to guide students towards having a more positive outlook about starting a family, given that studies in China have shown that many undergraduates are reluctant to date or marry, much less have children, due to stress. 

As for lowering the age of marriage to 16, the proposal came from the president of a hospital in central Henan province, who claimed that a woman’s sex hormones are most active during that age.

Netizens, however, have criticised the idea, arguing that girls may need more life experience before deciding to have children or not. Others wondered if it was appropriate to have sex below 18 – the mark of adulthood in China – though Chinese law defines the age of sexual consent as 14. 

Other suggestions include financial help for assisted reproductive procedures, flexible work arrangements, and setting up a policy package to ensure parents receive help through tax breaks, education subsidies and housing allowances before their child turns 18. 

Associate Professor Mu Zheng at the National University of Singapore told The Straits Times that policymakers in China will need to go beyond policies “that focus narrowly on childbirth incentives” such as subsidies, extended parental care leave and childcare expansion.

“High housing costs, intense work demands, expensive education and childcare, and uncertainties about long-term economic and social stability all shape family decisions,” said Prof Mu, an expert on family and marriage. 

Instead, a systematic approach that can allow the Chinese to “feel that family life is compatible with stable careers and a reasonable quality of life” is needed.

“Policies that reduce the stresses associated with work and everyday living may ultimately be more effective than policies aimed at encouraging births alone,” she added.

Newlywed Zhang Juan, 29, said she and her husband have struck a deal with their parents to hold off childbearing for three years.

The couple, who got married in December 2025, want to enjoy each other’s company for longer, and give themselves more time to save money, should they eventually want to have a child.

“We are actually fine with not having children. Having them would be too expensive for us, and our whole lives would revolve around them,” said Ms Zhang, who works in a veterinary hospital in south-western Chongqing municipality.

“Deep down, I worry too much about being responsible for someone else’s life, when I’m not sure if I myself can have a good life. So I haven’t paid much attention to the (government) incentives about having children.”