China’s birth rate dropped 3.5% in 2017

Beijing. January 19. Silkroadnews - China’s birth rate dropped 3.5% in 2017, Channel NewsAsia reported.
“Births in mainland China fell by 3.5 per cent to 17.23 million last year. The fall in the number of births in 2017 came despite a 2016 move to relax China's so-called "one-child policy" and allow all couples to have a second child. The loosening of the restrictions came amid concerns about the country's rapidly aging population,” the report said.
According to China’s family planning commission, such a drop last year was due to smaller number of women of fertile age and the growing number of people delaying marriage and pregnancy.
The decline was a surprise, yet still the figure was above the average number of births for the five previous years.
Data published by the China Association of Social Security last year, it is expected that by the end of 2035 China’s elderly population will reach 400 million, compared to about 240 million at present, and their provision with health, social care and pensions services will turn into a serious financial burden.
Earlier this month China’s National Health and Family Planning Commission reported that the average life expectancy in China reached 76.5 years last year, compared with 74.83 in 2010.