China's Family Planning Policies Have Swung Dramatically Over the Past 8 Years

China's one-child policy was relaxed to accommodate two children in 2015, then again in 2021. Family planning officials estimated the new policies would increase the number of births per year to 20 million. The number plummeted to 9.56 million in 2022, its lowest level since the nation's founding in 1949. In response, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced in September 2022 that the country will establish a policy system to boost birth rates.