On November 25, 2011, Henan Province joined 31 other provinces in allowing the couples who were both the only child in their families to have a second child. The change in policy came about because the “one child policy” had a number of negative effects, including an aging population, the quality of the population, and the gender mix.
According to statistics from the 6th census, published on April 28, 2011, China’s population increased to 1.339 billion from 1.265 billion in 2000. The census revealed that 13.3 percent were 60 years and older which was 3 percent higher than in 2000, while 16.6 percent were under the age of 14 compared to 27.69 percent in 1990. It was predicted that China’s population will have a net increase of 200 million over the next 30 years reaching 1.5 billion by 2033. Experts are calling for a conservative approach to opening up the “two child policy.”
Source: Xinhua, November 27, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2011-11/27/c_122340832.htm