Archive · 15 Dec 2025
China to cover childbirth expenses by 2026
China has announced that by 2026, it will cover all out-of-pocket expenses related to childbirth.
This includes prenatal checkups and other medical expenses.
The goal is to encourage more young couples to have children because China's population has been decreasing.
The country's population has been dropping since 2022, and experts expect this trend to continue.
The decline is due to factors like the former one-child policy, high costs of childcare and education, and economic uncertainty.
Some provinces have already started similar policies to make childbirth almost free.
The government has also tried other incentives like extended maternity leave and financial benefits to encourage families to have more children.
China aims to cover all out-of-pocket expenses for childbirth by 2026, including prenatal checkups.
The policy is intended to encourage more young couples to have children amid a declining population.
China's population has been decreasing since 2022, with experts predicting the trend to continue.
Factors contributing to the decline include the former one-child policy, high childcare and education costs, and economic uncertainty.
Some provinces, like Jilin, Jiangsu, and Shandong, have already implemented similar policies.
- Who
- China's national healthcare security administration
- What
- Full reimbursement for all policy-covered medical expenses related to childbirth, including prenatal checkups
- When
- By 2026
- Where
- Nationwide in China
- Why
- To incentivize more young couples to have children and address the declining population
- Policy Implementation
- 2026
- Coverage
- All policy-covered medical expenses related to childbirth, including prenatal checkups
- Objective
- Improve medical expense coverage for prenatal examinations and childbirth
- Current Population Trend
- Declining since 2022
- Reasons for Declining Birth Rates
- One-child policy, high cost of childcare and education, job uncertainty, slowing economy
- Previous Incentives
- Expanded maternity leave, financial and tax benefits, housing subsidies
- Pilot Provinces
- Jilin, Jiangsu, Shandong
