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China’s hospitals are seeing a boom in the number of newborns in the Year of the Dragon. This could slow down the fall in population in 2024 and bring cheer to policymakers.
In the Chinese zodiac, the dragon is believed to be lucky. Data from hospitals over the Lunar New Year showed that the number of newborns had increased “significantly”, said financial news outlet Yicai.
Chinese policymakers are worried about the decline in births in a quickly ageing population. Last year, President Xi Jinping said China needed to create “a new culture of marriage and childbearing”.
However, many young people are choosing to stay single or delay marriage. This is because it is not easy to find jobs while the country has record youth unemployment.
Demographers say the “dragon baby boom” is likely to be short-lived. Many women choose to remain childless because of high childcare costs and they do not want to marry or pause their careers.
