Lifetime childlessness rate to grow, study says
▲SONG CHEN/CHINA DAILY
The study, published recently in the domestic journal Population Research, used data from the latest two national population censuses conducted in 2010 and 2020 to calculate the rate of childlessness among different age groups.
Some countries use 42 years as the threshold for counting the rate of childlessness. By this standard, China's rate would stand at around 6.7 percent, still much lower than 11 percent in the United States and 19 percent in European Union countries.
The study found that well-educated women and those living in urban areas and northeastern provinces were more likely to never have children.
The rate among women living in cities was 6.3 percent, compared with 3.7 percent for women in rural areas.
The report noted that the rate of childlessness among women aged 20 to 30 grew by over 10 percentage points from 2010 to 2020.
"The rapidly rising rate among younger women reflects delays in marriage and childbearing, while the relatively slower growth rate among older women points to declining fertility levels and the rising phenomenon among Chinese women of opting to never have kids," the study said.
The study noted the prevalence of infertility in China, which is estimated to stand at around 10 percent, will likely rise in the future and further drive up the lifetime rate of childlessness.
"The National Healthcare Security Administration said this year that it is mulling including fertility treatments in its medical insurance programs, and this policy can play a role in helping couples who want to have a baby at a later age realize their plans," the study said.
China registered its first population decline in over six decades last year, and the central leadership has recently stressed the significance of maintaining an adequate fertility level to achieve long-term and balanced population development.
"In China, few babies were born out of wedlock and families with multiple children are rare. As a result, the rising lifetime rate of childlessness in the country will exert a strong and nearly irreversible impact on the number of newborns and overall fertility level," said the study, adding that the phenomenon calls for heightened precaution.
Reporter: Wang Xiaoyu