From one child to two: demographic policies in China and their impact on population

Abstract

Since the application of the only child policy in 1979 to the already announced possible disappearance of any mention to a maximum number of children in March 2020, the Chinese leaders have been adapting the natality of the Chinese population to the supposed needs of their demography. It is analyzed if the only child policy affected the decline of the fertility in China, as well as the other consequences, which are usually related such as the drop of the population growth, accelerated aging, increase of the sex imbalance and imbalance in the marriage market. Also, it is aim of this work to find out what have would happened if this only child policy had not been carried out. Finally, another goal is to assess the possible consequences over the current demographic situation in China, in the foreseeable case of the extinction in the limit of the maximum number of children per couple.