Pudong birth rate set to rise

By Liang Yiwen  |   2008-10-23  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

THE present baby boom in Pudong New Area may last until 2010. However, the number of births in this area is expected to fall from 2011 to 2014, the Pudong Population and Family Planning Commission said yesterday.

The area's permanent population will pass 3 million by the end of this year, up 0.15 percent from last year, according to the commission. This includes people with registered residency permits and those living in the city for more than six months.

Next year, the number of births may rise to 32,000 among the area's permanent residents. Registered residents are expected to give birth to 17,000 babies, while out-of-town people living there for more than six months will deliver 15,000 babies, the commission predicted.

"The birth rate in the area will exceed 32,000 in 2010, but will keep dropping from 2011 to 2014. The anticipated number of births in 2014 is 25,000," said Xu Yuehu, an official with the commission.

The number of newborns was only 12,000 in 2000, but it has increased sharply since 2004. Statistics show that the percentage of babies delivered by out-of-town people has risen significantly compared with registered residents.

Shanghai last experienced a baby boom in the early 1980s. Children of that generation have now reached child-bearing age, leading city officials to make their predictions for the next few years.

Committee members said that many young couples also tried to have babies in the year of the Olympics, and may again in the year of the Expo. This explains the high birth rate from 2008 to 2010, a member said. Another important reason is that more Shanghai males marry non-local girls, which brings about a sharp increase in the number of pregnant women.

Faced with limited resources, Pudong New Area authorities stepped up research on demographic patterns last year. Officials said yesterday that they are committed to addressing the population problem.