Photo: VCG
Hohhot, the capital of North China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, unveiled its generous childcare subsidy policy, offering up to 100,000 yuan ($13,800) per newborn and other preferential policies to families with three or more kids. The subsidy will be paid out at a rate of 10,000 yuan per year until the child turns 10, CCTV News reported on Saturday.
Under the new policy, families with at least one parent holding a Hohhot hukou (household registration) will receive 100,000 yuan for having a third child after March 1. Hohhot will also provide cash subsidies of 10,000 yuan for family with one child and 50,000 yuan for those with a second starting from March 1.
Yang Zhong, deputy director of the Hohhot Municipal Health Commission, stated that the childcare subsidy program, which took effect on March 1, is a key measure to promote high-quality population growth.
Marriage and childbirth services include medical insurance coverage for prenatal examinations and labor analgesia, while newborns receive three free health screenings; the “One Cup of Milk” program provides year-round nutritional support for postpartum mothers (specifically, mothers of newborns born after March 1, 2025, receive one free cup of milk daily for a full year); and childcare subsidies are distributed in a tiered manner, according to the report.
Yang explained that the tiered, annual distribution of childcare subsidies could ease short-term fiscal pressure while optimizing fund use.
A dynamic evaluation system will track the policy’s effectiveness. Hohhot’s subsidy process is designed for convenience, with newborns automatically eligible upon registration through IT systems, while residents can also apply online.
Yang hopes this reduces family financial burdens, eases childbirth concerns, and boosts industries like maternal products and education.
Hohhot is not the only city using direct financial incentives to boost birth rates.
According to CCTV News, Tianmen in Central China’s Hubei Province has increased number of newborns by 17 percent year-on-year by adopting subsidiary policies since 2024.
In mid-December last year, a Tianmen mother surnamed He, welcomed her third child. On the day of her discharge, He received a financial package including 300 yuan in delivery assistance, a 3,000-yuan one-time birth reward, and 4,800 yuan in maternity leave subsidies — totaling 8,100 yuan deposited into an “encouraging childbirth” bank card.
Additionally, from birth to age 3, her third child qualifies for a monthly 1,000-yuan subsidy. Combined with an 18,000-yuan housing subsidy and a waived 1,000-yuan non-invasive prenatal genetic screening fee, He received a grand total of 225,100 yuan in government support for her third child.
Since 2024, Tianmen city has implemented seven pro-birth policies—including childcare subsidies, childcare services, and enhanced housing support—to encourage higher birth rates, according to CCTV News.
Wang Huibing, an official with the Tianmen Health Commission, noted the policies’ clear impact: in 2024, births reached 7,217, up 17 percent year-on-year, marking the first increase in eight years.
“We’re building an integrated service system covering pregnancy, childbirth, childcare, and education, ensuring people can conceive well, give birth safely, and afford to raise children,” said the official.
China will formulate policies on boosting birth rates, and provide childcare subsidies, according to a government work report submitted to the national legislature for deliberation on March 5.
Global Times
