Couples will be permitted to have as many children as they choose in the Sichuan province of China, as the nation tries to control its dwindling population.

For the first time in 60 years, China’s population declined last year.

The nation’s long-standing one-child restriction will be increased to three for married couples nationwide in 2021.

Unmarried people will now be entitled to raise children as part of the policy change in Sichuan.

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The registration of births by unmarried mothers was previously prohibited.

China ended its divisive one-child rule in 2016, which had been in place since 1979. Families that disobeyed the law were penalized and, in some circumstances, even fired.

The strategy also resulted in forced abortions in a society where boys have always been preferred over girls.

However, the 2016-starting improvements were unable to stop the birth rate’s drop. In China, births were outnumbered by deaths for the first time in 2017.

In Sichuan, a province in the southwest of the country with 80 million inhabitants, there will no longer be a cap on the number of children parents can have.

The goal of Chinese President Xi Jinping is to increase birth rates. To stop or reduce the decline, the government has provided tax rebates and improved maternity healthcare.

It happens as China continues to struggle with Covid-related fatalities all around the nation. After zero-Covid restrictions were lifted in December, the virus ravaged villages and cities.

Japan is one of the neighboring nations that is experiencing declining birth rates. The prime minister of Japan claims that as a result, his nation is in danger of losing its ability to operate as a community.