BEIJING – China announced on Tuesday that it would introduce free preschool education beginning in the fall, as the world’s second most populous country tries to boost birth rates amid a looming demographic crisis.

China’s population has declined for three consecutive years, with United Nations demographic models projecting it could drop from about 1.4 billion today to 800 million by 2100.

Last year, there were only 9.54 million births in China, half the number recorded in 2016, when Beijing ended its one-child policy after over three decades.

The population decreased by 1.39 million last year, and China lost its title as the world’s most populous country to India in 2023.

Marriage rates are also at record lows, as many young couples are discouraged from having children due to high childcare costs and career concerns.

On Tuesday, China’s State Council announced that “starting in the fall semester of 2025, childcare and education fees will be waived for children attending public kindergartens in the year before school.”

The policy aims to “effectively reduce the cost of education, improve the level of public education services, and provide education that satisfies the people,” the State Council said.

Beijing called it an “important measure that concerns thousands upon thousands of households and relates to long-term development.”

Funding for the program will be shared between central and local governments, and children attending approved private kindergartens will also qualify for fee reductions.

This announcement comes a week after the country said it would provide parents with the equivalent of US$500 per year for each child under three.

At a news conference in Beijing last week, National Health Commission (NHC) official Wang Haidong acknowledged that China had “gradually shifted from a phase of population growth to a phase of population decline.”

“The childcare subsidy system can directly increase people’s cash income,” said Guo Yanhong, vice minister of the NHC.

In recent years, Chinese leaders have struggled to revive the economy, which has been troubled by a long-standing property crisis that has spooked potential homebuyers and discouraged many from having children.

China’s shrinking population is also aging rapidly, raising concerns about the future of the country’s pension system.

There were nearly 310 million people aged 60 and over in 2024. -Nampa/AFP