China Allows Couples to Have 3 Children

On Monday, the Chinese government declared that it will allow couples to have up to three children as census data showed a steep decline in birth rates and an upsurge in aging rates.

In a step intended to boost birth rates, China's authorities scrapped its decades-old one-child policy in 2016, replacing it with a two-child limit which has failed to lead to a sustained upsurge in births.

The latest decision was approved by China's President Xi Jinping at a meeting of top Communist Party officials, according to Xinhua news agency.

Also in the same regard, the leader of China said: "The new move will come with supportive measures, which will be conducive to improving our country's population structure, fulfilling the country's strategy of actively coping with an aging population and maintaining the advantage, endowment of human resources."

It's worth mentioning that many generations of Chinese people have lived without siblings and are used to small families, affluence has meant less need for multiple children to become family, supporting workers and poor couples say they'd rather give one child more advantages than spread their income among several kids.

In 2016, Beijing changed family planning rules to allow families to have two children as fears grew about China’s fast-aging population and shrinking workforce. However, there has been growing concern that the policy change is yet to produce the expected baby boom to help offset the country’s aging population.

Lately, Jinping has affirmed that an aging population and a slowing birth rate pose a major challenge for China.