The One-Child Policy’s Effect on Chinese Fertility
For anyone who is curious about the impact of the One-Child Policy on the Total Fertility Rate in China, I present this graph:
(click image to enlarge)
China’s TFR was 2.74 when the policy started (in 1979), less than half of what it had been just 10 years prior to the launch.
To put things in perspective: From 1950 to 2000, China’s TFR fell from about 6.5 children per woman to about 1.8 children. 80% of that decline occurred before the One-Child Policy existed.
So, if anyone tells you that the One-Child Policy caused China’s birth rate to drop significantly, please politely let them know that the data says otherwise.
(data: Gapminder.org)
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