According to official data released by the Chinese government, the total population of China decreased for the third consecutive year in 2024, with the number of deaths slightly exceeding the number of births. The issues of aging population and low birth rate are becoming increasingly severe. On March 13, a topic labeled “Hohhot promotes childbirth with a subsidy of 100,000 yuan” sparked heated discussions on the internet.
On March 13, the Health Commission of Hohhot, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, issued detailed regulations on childcare subsidies to encourage city residents to have children.
According to the regulations, families who have legally given birth after March 1 (including March 1) will receive a one-time childcare subsidy of 10,000 yuan for the birth of a first child; 50,000 yuan for the birth of a second child, to be distributed at a rate of 10,000 yuan per year until the child reaches five years old; and 100,000 yuan for the birth of a third child or more, to be distributed at a rate of 10,000 yuan per year until the child reaches ten years old.
The news immediately sparked discussions on the internet.
Weibo influencer “LaoDao99” said, “Nowadays, raising a child from birth to the time they start working, assuming they start working at 23 years old, costs around 1 million yuan in major cities like Beijing and Shanghai, and about 700,000 yuan in provincial capital-level cities! This is just the basic cost of living, not including expenses for various extracurricular classes! So, the total cost of raising three children falls between 3 million to 2.1 million yuan!”
Weibo influencer “YiShiWeiJianV” said, “After reading this policy, I feel that more emphasis should be placed on the first child (rewarded with 10,000 yuan). Currently, it seems that the policy places more emphasis on the second child (50,000 yuan) and third child (100,000 yuan); in fact, based on population data, the first child is the group that should be paid more attention to… To reverse the population trend, encouraging the first child should be the priority.”
Founder of Zhi Xin Qing Nian and Weibo influencer “GengXiangShun” said, “Hohhot’s childcare subsidy policy of 10,000 yuan for the first child, 50,000 yuan for the second child, and 100,000 yuan for the third child, I think this approach is wrong. The subsidy for the first child is too little; the focus should be on incentivizing the birth of the first and second children, rather than emphasizing the third child!
“A reward of 10,000 yuan for the first child, although better than nothing, is insignificant compared to the cost of raising a child, making it practically useless. Young people nowadays don’t want to have even one child, let alone thinking about having a second or third child for such a small subsidy. If they don’t have the first child, how could they have the third?
“We should heavily subsidize young couples who have the first child, and increase special tax deductions for childcare expenses, as well as promote universal maternity services, child healthcare services, childcare services, early childhood education services, and other supportive measures for childbirth, implement a good eight-hour work system, and a two-day weekend system.
“Effectively helping young people reduce the economic and time burdens of having children is essential to increase the willingness to have children.”
Weibo influencer “JinHuaLive” said, “Those who can afford to have three children are not impressed by this small subsidy, and for those who can’t afford to have three children, this subsidy is far from enough! So, is this subsidy just a drop in the bucket?”