On 29 October 2015, China announced it would end its decades-long one-child policy, allowing all married couples to have two children in a major shift in the country’s population policy.
The decision followed 35 years of restrictions designed to control population growth in the world’s most populous country at the time. Chinese authorities said the change would help address the country’s ageing population and the growing imbalance between the number of working-age people and retirees.
Why China introduced the one-child policy
China introduced the one-child policy around 1980 as the government sought to slow rapid population growth and ease pressure on food supplies, housing, employment and public services.
Under the policy, most urban couples were generally limited to having one child, although exemptions applied to certain groups and circumstances. Rules varied by region and population group, and enforcement could include fines and other penalties for unauthorised births.
The policy became one of the most far-reaching examples of state intervention in family planning. While authorities credited birth restrictions with helping to limit population growth, the policy also attracted criticism over reproductive rights and its social consequences.
An ageing population prompts a policy shift
By 2015, China was facing mounting demographic challenges. Longer life expectancy and declining birth rates raised concerns about the future size of its workforce and the cost of supporting an ageing population.
The Chinese Communist Party announced the change following a four-day policy meeting in Beijing. Leaders said the universal two-child policy would help balance population growth, increase the labour supply and ease pressure linked to an ageing society. The Guardian+1
The announcement marked a significant change in a policy that had shaped family life for more than three decades. However, the move did not immediately become law. China’s legislature approved the necessary legal amendments in December 2015, and the two-child policy took effect nationwide on 1 January 2016. Library of Congress+1
The policy’s legacy continued
Ending the one-child policy did not immediately reverse China’s demographic trends. Many couples faced the financial pressures of raising children, while the country’s population continued to age and fertility remained low.
China later relaxed its restrictions further, introducing a three-child policy in 2021 as the government sought to encourage births and address persistently low fertility. Οργανισμός Ηνωμένων Εθνών+1
The 2015 announcement therefore represented more than the end of a 35-year population-control policy. It also marked a turning point in China’s approach to family planning, as the government shifted from limiting births to encouraging larger families.
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