"How high is the cost of childbirth in China?" , this is a question that many people are curious about.
Fortunately, we find the answer in the latest data.
According to a report by the Yuwa Population Research Think Tank, the amount required to raise a child until the age of 18 is about 485,000 yuan, and if you count the bachelor's degree, it is about 627,000 yuan.
This number may surprise many people, and even come as a little shock:
After all, many Chinese earn 2,000-3,000 yuan a month, how do you spend such a high parenting cost on average? Compared to foreign countries, is this data normal?
01 Compare the situation abroad
Globally, the cost of childbirth in China is truly impressive.
According to statistics, the cost of raising a child to the age of 18 in China is 6.9 times of GDP, which puts China in the second place in the world, after South Korea at 7.79 times.
Compared with Germany in Europe, the cost of parenting in China is more than twice as high, and the figure in Germany is 3.64 times.
Even more strikingly, the cost of childbirth in China is 2.08 times that of Australia and 2.24 times that of France.
This high cost of childbirth undoubtedly puts huge economic pressure on Chinese families.
For many ordinary families, this means investing almost all of their financial resources.
This situation not only affects people's willingness to have children, but also has a far-reaching impact on the future demographic structure and social development.
02 Why is our parenting cost so high?
In exploring the reasons for China's high fertility costs, renowned demographer Liang Jianzhang offers his insights.
First of all, the high price of housing has become one of the main pressures.
In China, high-quality educational resources are often closely linked to real estate.
In order for their children to enter a good school, parents have to invest heavily in school district housing, which undoubtedly greatly increases the cost of parenting.
Secondly, the cost of education is also a major component of the cost of childbirth.
Although public education itself is not expensive, the lifelong system of one test makes parents have to participate in various extracurricular training and cram schools for their children.
This phenomenon begins in kindergarten, and as children get older, the associated costs rise, making the cost of education continue to rise.
Finally, the inadequacy of welfare policies is also a reason that cannot be ignored.
Australia, for example, offers parents up to a year and a half of maternity leave, baby benefits such as "milk money," and education from primary to high school is free.
More importantly, the universal free health care system ensures that all citizens receive timely medical care in the face of illness, without bearing a heavy burden.
In contrast, our policies in these areas are slightly inadequate, which also indirectly increases the cost of raising families.
The combination of these factors makes the cost of parenting in China much higher than in many countries.
03 How to solve this problem
Faced with the rising cost of childbirth, demographer Liang Jianzhang and education expert Yu Minhong offered their suggestions.
Liang Jianzhang believes that the most direct and effective way is for the state to provide economic subsidies and tax reduction policies.
He suggested that providing a monthly subsidy of five to six thousand for families with three children until the child is 18 years old will directly reduce the financial burden of families and encourage more families to have children.
Yu Minhong, on the other hand, made creative suggestions starting from housing policy.
He believes that for each child, a 30-square-meter house can be provided, which will greatly ease the family's living pressure.
At the same time, it also solves the problem of uneven distribution of educational resources, thereby encouraging young people to take the initiative to have children.
Although these recommendations have their own focus, they all share the common goal of reducing the cost of childbearing for families and increasing young people's willingness to have children.
In considering these proposals, national governments need to weigh the pros and cons, fiscal affordability, and the feasibility and sustainability of the policy.
At the same time, it is also necessary to comprehensively consider education, medical care, social security and other factors to form an all-round and multi-level support system to promote the country's population structure and social development to achieve sustained and healthy development.
All in all, as a developing country, China's fertility costs shouldn't be so high.
It is hoped that the state will adopt more methods and measures to reduce the cost of childbirth and allow more families to relieve the pressure on them.