Chinese Population Policies: Towards a Free Choice

Demographic policies carried out in China over the past 50 years have dictated the speed and timing of demographic transition in this country. The population’s health conditions have improved bringing the life expectancy at birth to a very high level compared with other developing countries while China’s One-Child Policy has led to the reduction of fertility. It also created a relatively long period of demographic bonus, providing long-term economic development with manpower. However, in 2015 the aging of population and gender bias let the Chinese government abandon the country’s One-Child Policy in favor of the Two-Child Policy. We will know only in the future if this option will have a positive impact on the demographic balance or whether it is coming too late for Chinese couples.