No baby boom in China as births fall by nearly a third in 2020

China has reported a drop in births by nearly a third, which is a sign that the nation's policies are failing to create a baby boom. In 2016, amid China's aging population rising, the "one-child policy" rule was changed to allow couples to have two children.

According to numbers released on yesterday, the number of births registered stand at 10.04 million in 2020, which is more than 30% drop from 2019. This is the fourth year in a row that the number has declined. From these figures, 52.7% were boys and 47.3% were girls.

In the late 1970s, China launched its one-child policy to slow the population growth. But after 2016, Chinese women often delayed having a child or avoided it completely, citing insufficient policy support.

The census that China undertook in November, there was much focus on any rise in population. But experts say it could take about 15 years for the policy change to have any visible effect on the figures.

Meanwhile, the number of retirees is set to rise to 300 million in four years. Officials say the fertility rate in China has dropped to dangerous levels.