(ECNS) – The Chinese Zodiac played a role in the birth decrease in China in 2015, according to the National Health and Family Planning Commission.
Data released by the National Statistics Bureau showed that China had 16.55 million newborns last year, down by 320,000 compared to 2014.
An official at the National Health and Family Planning Commission was cited by the Beijing News as saying that some couples, especially those in northern China, delayed plans to deliver children in 2015, the Year of the Ram, to 2016, the Year of the Monkey.
Some Chinese believe that those born in the Year of the Ram are usually ill-fated.
Another factor was that the number of women of child-bearing age is on the decline. The number of females aged 15 to 49 decreased by about 5 million last year from 2014, while those in the age group 20 to 29 saw a decrease of about 1.5 million.
According to the official, 23 provinces saw a slight drop in the number of newborns last year from 2014. Two provinces were on par with 2014 and six provinces reported a slight increase in births.
China eased the one-child policy in 2014 by allowing couples to have a second child if either the husband or wife is the only child in their family. Therefore the decrease in newborns, rather than a much-expected increase, has drawn wide attention across the nation.
