Chinese births hit lowest level since 1980

China last year experienced the fewest births since it implemented its one-child policy in 1980, with 2 million fewer women having babies than in 2017, government data released on Monday shows.

The 15.23 million births last year marked a second straight drop. The decline is likely to prompt authorities to accelerate discussions on lifting restrictions on how many children couples can have.

All Chinese couples have been allowed to have two children since 2016. Births that year reached 17.86 million, the highest since 1999, but the drops in 2017 and 2018 show the two-child policy is becoming less effective. It has been 14 years since births declined for two consecutive years.

The number of couples having a second child dropped significantly last year, in part because many couples had a second child when the restriction was lifted in 2016.

The government established the two-child policy with the aim of exceeding 20 million annual births, but Monday's announcement indicates it will be difficult to reach the target.