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China’s Sichuan Lifts Restriction on Marital Status for Birth Registration to Ease Plummeting Birth Rate

Mon, 06 Mar 2023
Categories: China Legal Trends
Contributors: CJO Staff Contributors Team
Editor: Yurou Yin 印羽柔
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On 29 Dec. 2022, the Sichuan provincial government issued the “Administrative Measures for Birth Registration Service in Sichuan Province” (四川省生育登记服务管理办法, hereinafter the “Measures”).

According to the Measures, all citizens who give birth to children shall register their birth. Besides, citizens shall get birth registrations before giving birth, and those who miss the registration are allowed to do so after childbirth.

The above requirement in the previous version of the Measures was stated as “couples shall get birth registrations before giving birth”. The change in the wording, from “couples” to “citizens”, is significant, as it has been officially confirmed that this change is a removal of the restriction that registrants must be married.

China’s population in 2022 has fallen for the first time in 60 years, with the national birth rate hitting a record low - 6.77 births per 1,000 people.

 

 

Cover Photo by 李大毛 没有猫 on Unsplash


Contributors: CJO Staff Contributors Team

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