{"id":13713,"date":"2024-02-23T12:30:44","date_gmt":"2024-02-23T12:30:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focus.cbbc.org\/?p=13713"},"modified":"2025-04-23T09:02:26","modified_gmt":"2025-04-23T09:02:26","slug":"china-most-expensive-places-in-world-to-raise-children","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focus.cbbc.org\/china-most-expensive-places-in-world-to-raise-children\/","title":{"rendered":"Why is China one of the most expensive places in the world to raise children?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Raising a child in China is more expensive than almost anywhere else in the world. How did China\u2019s childcare costs get so high, and what does this mean for the country\u2019s future?<\/h3>\n

Beijing-based think tank YuWa Population Research has estimated that the average cost of raising a child to the age of 18 is RMB 538,000 (\u00a358,900), more than six times China\u2019s GDP per capita*. The report<\/a> found that only South Korea is more expensive to raise a child, where the average cost is 7.79 times GDP per capita.<\/p>\n

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A similar report by the UK\u2019s Child Poverty Action Group<\/a> estimated that the average cost of raising a child to 18 in the UK is \u00a3166,000 per couple, or \u00a3220,000 for a single parent.<\/p>\n

The cost of raising a child in China has been driven up by high housing prices, a lack of affordable nursery services, and the pressure to sign up for extracurricular activities and tutoring services to ensure that a child succeeds academically. These problems are compounded in major cities like Beijing and Shanghai, where the report found the average cost of raising a child was RMB 936,000, almost twice the national average.<\/p>\n

The report also emphasised the time and opportunity costs of childbearing for women, with many seeing a significant reduction in wages and hours worked after having a child.<\/p>\n