China hopes free milk will get more women having babies

The government is grappling with a shrinking population and record-low marriage rates

Chinese provinces are trying to boost the country’s falling population (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

A Chinese city has introduced a range of childcare subsidies – including a daily cup of free milk for new mothers – in a bid to bolster the country’s declining birth rate.

The efforts in Hohhot, the capital of Inner Mongolia, are part of a broader national trend, with over 20 provincial administrations implementing similar measures, according to state news agency Xinhua.

These subsidies have become a central focus for policymakers grappling with a shrinking population and record-low marriage rates.

China's population contracted for the third consecutive year in 2024, accompanied by a 20 per cent plunge in marriages – the steepest decline ever recorded.

This demographic crisis is largely attributed to the legacy of China's one-child policy (which ran from 1980-2015), rapid urbanisation, and the escalating costs of raising children.

Despite couples being permitted to have up to three children since 2021, the birth rate remains stubbornly low.

Premier Li Qiang underscored the government's commitment to addressing this issue during the annual parliamentary meeting, highlighting childcare subsidies and free preschool education as key strategies.

Mothers in Hohhot will get a free cup of milk each day (Getty Images)

An action plan unveiled on Sunday emphasised the need to "study and establish a childcare subsidy system" to stimulate domestic consumption and, implicitly, encourage larger families.

Hohhot, a bustling northern city, said couples would receive a 10,000 yuan (£1,066) one-off payment for their first child, and 10,000 yuan a year for a second baby until the child reached the age of five.

A third child would receive an annual subsidy of 10,000 yuan until they turned 10, a total figure roughly twice the annual income of local residents.

Hohhot also issued what it called the "One cup of milk fertility care action for mothers" with a cup of milk available for free each day for any mothers who give birth after March 1.

They will also be entitled to an electronic voucher worth 3,000 yuan (£320) from two dairy companies.