China sees second child baby boom

7.4 million babies were born in China in the first five months of 2017, a year-on-year increase of 7.8%.

More than half, 57.7%, were born into families where there was already one child. That represents an 8.5% increase on the year before.

The figures were announced by the deputy head of the National Health and Family Planning Commission, Wang Peian, at the annual meeting of the China Population Association.

A midwife weighing a new-born baby at Wuhan maternal and child care service center on June 19, 2017. [Photo: IC]

In the late seventies China introduced a one-child policy to reign in the country’s runaway population growth. With the country facing a shortage of economically active people, that rule was relaxed at the beginning of 2016 to allow all couples to have two children if they wished. Officials fear high living costs, long hours and expensive child-care may will discourage couples from starting or growing their family.

China's population as a whole had reached 1.38 billion by 2016, an increase of eight million year-on-year.