China has announced that it will start taxing contraceptives for the first time in over 30 years as it tries to encourage families to have more children.
From January 1, 2026, contraceptive products such as condoms and birth control drugs will now be part of China’s 13 per cent value-added tax.
The move comes as the country’s birth rate continues to fall. In 2024, China recorded 9.5 million births, a big drop from the 14.7 million babies born in 2019, according to official figures. Reports also show that deaths now exceed births in the country.
China once strictly controlled family size from about 1980 to 2015, couples were limited to having only one child.
The policy was enforced through fines and other penalties, and in some cases, women were forced to end pregnancies.
Children born outside the rule were sometimes denied official identity documents.
As the population began to shrink, the government relaxed the policy, allowing two children in 2015 and later three children in 2021.
In the past, contraception was widely encouraged and often provided free. Now, by taxing these products, the government hopes fewer people will use them and more families will choose to have children.
However, the decision has sparked criticism on Chinese social media. Many people say taxing condoms will not make them want to have children, noting that raising a child is far more expensive than buying contraceptives, even with the new tax.
