China has issued a 15-department blueprint to make cities more youth- and child-friendly by embedding youth development into planning, housing, healthcare, education and public services. Key measures include expanded childcare subsidies, more mother-and-baby rooms, improved maternity and pediatric care, and fairer school access for migrant children. The plan aims to help reverse falling births — 7.92 million in 2025 — and population decline, with milestones set for 2030 and a more complete system by 2035.
China Unveils Cross-Department Plan to Make Cities More Youth- and Child-Friendly
FILE PHOTO: Children ride a snow bicycle at Shanghai L+SNOW Indoor Skiing Theme Resort amid an orange alert for heat in Shanghai, China August 28, 2025. REUTERS/Go Nakamura/File Photo
China has released a cross-departmental blueprint urging cities to integrate youth development into urban planning, housing, healthcare, education and public services. The initiative, jointly issued by 15 government departments and published on Wednesday, seeks to make urban life more supportive for young people, children and families while addressing the country’s demographic challenges.
Key Measures in the Blueprint
- Expand childcare subsidies and strengthen after-school and holiday childcare programs to ease family burdens.
- Increase mother-and-baby rooms and child-friendly facilities in public spaces.
- Improve maternity and pediatric care, and broaden access to family health services.
- Offer housing and employment support targeted at young people and young families.
- Improve matchmaking and social services aimed at family formation and youth wellbeing.
- Promote fairer access to schools for children of migrant workers and enhance municipal services for families.
The plan complements Beijing’s March pledge to build a "childbirth-friendly society" between 2026 and 2030. Officials say the measures will help counter a demographic decline: official data show births fell to 7.92 million in 2025 and the population fell by 3.39 million last year, the fourth consecutive annual drop.
"By 2030, the concept of youth-development-oriented cities will be widely established," the policy document says, adding that by 2035 China aims to have formed a "relatively mature and complete system for youth development."
The blueprint follows a separate urban development roadmap issued last year aimed at higher-quality, more liveable cities by 2035. Together, the strategies reflect a broader policy shift from prioritizing rapid urban expansion to improving quality of life and pursuing stable, sustainable development.
Reporting: Farah Master and the Beijing newsroom. Editing: Kim Coghill.
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