China has announced that it will allow each couple to have up to three children, marking the end of a strict two-child policy.
The change was approved by President Xi Jinping in a politburo meeting, state media outlet Xinhua said.
It comes after a census published every 10 years showed that China’s population grew at its slowest pace in decades.
This added pressure on Beijing to boost measures for couples to have more babies and avert a population decline.
Shrinking populations are problematic due to the inverted age structure, with more old people than young.When that happens, there won’t be enough workers in the future to support the elderly, and there may be an increased demand for health and social care. (BBC)