Beijing - China has distributed this year's childcare subsidies to 25.16 million babies, the National Health Commission said Tuesday.

The nationwide subsidy program, which was introduced in 2025 as part of the country's efforts to build a more birth-friendly society, provides 300 yuan (around 44.17 U.S. dollars) per month for each child under the age of three.

China's Ministry of Finance said in June that it had allocated 99.9 billion yuan in central government funds for childcare subsidies this year. Total spending on the program, including contributions from local governments, is expected to reach about 110 billion yuan in 2026.

The scheme comes as China faces growing demographic pressures. Since 2022, the country's population has been shrinking, while the number of older people has continued to rise. Challenges including a declining birth rate and an ageing population have become increasingly prominent.

Against this backdrop, building a "birth-friendly society" has become a key focus of China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030). The outline sets out measures including incentives to encourage births and efforts to reduce the costs of childbirth, childcare and education. It says the goal is to stabilize the number of newborns and support long-term balanced population development.

Last week, a Beijing resident surnamed Wang said she was pleasantly surprised to find that this year's childcare subsidy had been credited to her account.

"Receiving the subsidy has made us feel the government's support for families having and raising children, and it has also eased our financial burden in a very practical way," she said.

She also praised a new online "one-click renewal" service introduced this year, saying it had simplified the application process and that her application was approved quickly.

Alongside childcare subsidies, China has introduced a range of measures aimed at supporting population growth in recent years, including housing support, expanded nursery services and more flexible working arrangements.

Meanwhile, 28 provincial-level regions have moved to eliminate out-of-pocket payments for inpatient childbirth.

Amid efforts to support births across the country, China's birth numbers rose year on year in 2024, marking the first increase since 2017.

Yang Fan, a population expert at Renmin University of China, said childcare subsidies and broader birth-support policies should be further improved to better support people's well-being and contribute to sustainable development.