Statistical Monitoring Report of China National Program for Child Development (2021-2030) in 2022
National Bureau of Statistics of China, December 2023
To offer a comprehensive picture of the progress of the China National Program for Child Development (2021-2030) (hereinafter referred to as the Program), the National Bureau of Statistics of China (NBS) carried out a thorough analysis of its implementation progress in 2022 in seven aspects: children’s health, safety, education, welfare, family, environment, and legal protection. The analysis drew upon the statistical monitoring index system and relevant departmental data pertaining to the Program. The results revealed that the Program made smooth strides in 2022, with further improvement in children’s health, continued strengthening of safety environment, all-round protection of the right to access to education, continuously improved children’s welfare, further upgraded family support system, further optimized growth environments, and accelerated improvements to the children’s legal protection mechanism.
I. Children and Health
(I) Children’s health level was further improved, with ongoing enhancements to children’s health service system, and a continuous decline in the mortality rate of infants and children. As of the end of 2022, the number of maternity and child care institutions amounted to 3,031 and the number of children’s hospitals amounted to 158 across China. The number of staff of the maternity and child care institutions increased to 627,000 and the population of pediatric doctors reached 226,000 with the number of pediatric beds of up to 568,000. In 2022, the national neonatal mortality rate dropped to 3.1‰, flat from 2021; while the infant mortality rate and the mortality rate for children under the age of 5 were recorded as 4.9‰ and 6.8‰, falling by 0.1‰ and 0.3‰ compared to that in 2021, respectively.
(II) Efforts were significantly intensified to comprehensively prevent and treat birth defects. The birth defect prevention and treatment network was continuously improved, and the tertiary prevention of birth defects was effectively promoted. In addition, the primary prevention before marriage and pregnancy was strengthened, and the secondary prevention before and after childbirth was improved, with the tertiary prevention of newborn screening promoted. In 2022, the national premarital medical examination rate was 74.8%, marking a 3.9% increase from 2021; The rate of prenatal screening increased by 3.0% to reach 88.7%; The rate of newborn visits increased by 0.5% to reach 96.7%.
(III) The capacity of children’s health care services continued to be improved. Actions to improve children’s health care services were continuously implemented, and the national basic public health service health management project for children aged 0-6 was actively promoted. In 2022, the rate of health management for children under the age of 3 was 93.3%, an increase of 0.5% compared to 2021, and the rate of health management for children under the age of 7 was 94.9%, an increase of 0.3% compared to 2021. The coverage rate of eye health and vision checks for children aged 0-6 was 93.6%, an increase of 0.6%.
(IV) The prevention and control of key children’s diseases was strengthened. Children’s preventive vaccination was standardized, and the vaccination rates for various vaccines included in the National Immunization Program among eligible children remained high. In 2022, all vaccines included in the National Immunization Program for eligible children maintained a vaccination rate of over 90%.
(V) Attention was paid to the protection of children’s physical and mental health. The system of students’ health examinations and physical fitness monitoring was improved, and the monitoring of children’s psychological and behavioral development was strengthened, with the popularization of children’s psychological and behavioral development and health knowledge, thus promoting the improvement of children’s physical fitness and mental health development. In 2022, 55.1% of primary and secondary school students reached the National Student Physical Health Standards, an increase of 1.3% from 2021. The proportions of elementary and secondary schools with full-time mental health education teachers were 33.2% and 58.6%, respectively, marking an increase of 3.1% and 4.4% compared to 2021, respectively. The proportion of secondary schools that offer education on HIV/AIDS and sex education-related courses and activities increased by 1.9% to reach 96.3% in 2022.
II. Children and Safety
(I) The mortality rate for children’s injuries continued to decline. The awareness of children’s injury prevention and control were continuously strengthened, and the safe environment for children to grow up was improved, leading to a decrease in the mortality rate due to such injuries. In 2022, the mortality rate for children’s injuries was 8.74/100,000, a decrease of 15.0% compared to 2021. The drowning mortality rate for children decreased from 3.29/100,000 in 2021 to 3.04/100,000, a decrease of 7.6%.
(II) The safety supervision of food and products for children was strengthened. The infant formula registration, production license, production and operation were strictly supervised and the Detailed Rules for the Review of Infant Formula Milk Powder Production License (2022 Edition) was formulated and issued to ensure the safety of infant rations. In 2022, the safety spot-checks of infant formula and food showed a conforming rate of 99.89%.
III. Children and Education
(I) The level of comprehensive popularization of preschool education continued to improve. The Action Plan for the Development and Improvement of Preschool Education during the 14th Five-Year Plan Period was thoroughly implemented, and the level of preschool education was further improved, with government-subsidized preschool education resources continuously expanded. In 2022, the gross enrollment rate for preschool education nationwide was 89.7%, an increase of 1.6% compared to 2021. The number of government-subsidized kindergartens increased by 1,035 to a total of 246,000, accounting for 85.0% of all kindergartens, and the coverage rate of government-subsidized kindergartens increased by 1.8% to reach 89.6%.
(II) The level of consolidation of compulsory education continued to increase. The conditions for running compulsory education were further improved, the scale and quality of teachers were increased, with the supply of compulsory education degrees expanded. In 2022, the consolidation rate of nine-year compulsory education [1] was 95.5%, an increase of 0.1% compared to 2021. The net enrollment rate for elementary school-aged children and the transition rate from elementary school to junior high school were 99.9% and 99.5%, respectively, while the gross enrollment rate for junior high schools[2] remained above 100%. In 2022, there were a total of 202,000 schools at the compulsory education level in China, staffed with 10.655 million full-time teachers, an increase of 83,000. Full-time teachers with a bachelor’s degree or above were 81.0%, an increase of 3.3%.
(III) Senior high school education[3] was comprehensively strengthened. In 2022, the state issued guiding documents such as the Opinions on Deepening the Construction and Reform of the Modern Vocational Education System to promote the coordinated development of secondary vocational education and general high school education. In 2022, the gross enrollment rate for senior high schools increased by 0.2% from 2021 to reach 91.6%. The total number of regular senior high schools nationwide was 15,000, an increase of 441, with a total of 27.139 million students enrolled, an increase of 1.088 million compared to 2021. Enrollment was 9.475 million, an increase of 426,000. There were 9,752 secondary vocational education[4] schools, with a total of 17.847 million students enrolled, and enrollment was 6.508 million students.
(IV) The special education system was further improved. The Action Plan for the Development and Improvement of Preschool Education during the 14th Five-Year Plan Period was thoroughly implemented and the Guidelines for the Evaluation of the Quality of Special Education was issued and implemented to improve the evaluation system for special education, and continuously improve the quality of special education. In 2022, there were 2,314 special education schools nationwide, an increase of 26 compared to 2021. There were 73,000 full-time special education teachers[5], an increase of 4.8%; There were 146,000 students enrolled in various forms of special education[6], and 919,000 students were enrolled. There were 900,000 students enrolled in special education at the compulsory education stage nationwide, including 297,000 in junior high schools, an increase of 12,000.
IV. Children and Welfare
(I) The level of child welfare was consolidated and improved. The basic living security standards for orphans[7] and de facto unsupported children[8] continued to improve, and the scope of comprehensive protection for children’s rehabilitation and medical care was expanded. In 2022, the average monthly security standard for orphans in centralized institutional care and socially dispersed orphans were RMB 1802.3 and RMB 1364.7, respectively, an increase of RMB 104.9 and RMB 107.5 respectively compared to 2021. The average monthly security standard for de facto unsupported orphans was RMB 1359.5, an increase of RMB 111.4. The number of disabled children who received rehabilitation assistance increased by 43,000 to reach 407,000. By the end of 2022, basic medical insurance coverage for urban and rural residents had been extended to a total of 240 million children, and 6.578 million children were provided with the subsistence allowance.
(II) The building of grassroots children’s work teams was strengthened. The Construction Guide for Standard System of Child Welfare Institutions was issued to continue to promote the optimization, quality improvement, and innovation and transformation of child welfare institutions. All localities were guided in selecting and strengthening grassroots children’s work teams, and the professional capacity was increased to care for and serve children. By the end of 2022, there were a total of 529 child welfare institutions, and 396 institutions dedicated to assisting and protecting minors nationwide, an increase of 120 compared to 2021. The number of urban and rural community-based children’s homes increased by 5,146 to reach 334,000. The number of child supervisors and child directors nationwide reached 50,000 and 651,000, respectively, essentially achieving the objective of equipping child supervisors at the township level and child directors at the village level.
V. Children and Family
(I) The guidance system for family education was gradually improved. The Law of the People’s Republic of China on Family Education Promotion was thoroughly implemented, and the Five-Year Plan on the Guidance and Development of Family Education (2021-2025) was issued, with the construction guidance services for family education covering urban and rural areas accelerated. In 2022, the number of points of community parent schools or family education guidance service stations in urban areas constructed by women’s federations was 95,000, and the number of community (village) parent schools or family education guidance service stations in rural areas constructed by women’s federations was 399,000.
(II) The construction of a childcare service system was accelerated. The Guidelines on Further Improving and Implementing Active Fertility Support Measures was issued, proposing 20 specific policies for fertility support, accelerating the establishment of an active fertility support policy system, expanding the supply system of childcare services, and implementing special actions for government-subsidized childcare services, with a total investment of about RMB 335 million in the central budget. By the end of 2022, a total of 75,700 institutions across the country provided childcare services, with a total of 3.624 million childcare spots, and 2.57 childcare spots for 1,000 people nationwide, an increase of 0.54 from the end of 2021.
VI. Children and Environment
(I) The level of public cultural services for children was improved. The supply of cultural products and services for children and adolescents was constantly expanding. In 2022, the total number of books published for children and teenagers in junior high schools and below nationwide reached 1.05 billion (pieces), an increase of 75.85 million copies (pieces) from 2021. The public library nationwide had a collection of 190 million children’s literature, an increase of 21.689 million. The total broadcast time of children’s radio programs nationwide was 278,000 hours. The broadcast time of children’s TV animations and children’s TV programs was 465,000 hours and 643,000 hours, an increase of 13,000 hours and 17,000 hours respectively. There were 150 million visits to museums by minors throughout the year.
(II) The environment for children’s growth was gradually optimized. The position of educating through practice was actively expanded to strive to give play to the role of educating through practice. In 2022, there were a total of 20,000 community-based practice and education camps (bases) for Young Pioneers, an increase of 15,000 compared to 2021. Throughout the year, a total of 4.62 million pieces of illegal and harmful online information that endangered children were dealt with. Through the establishment of special classes, the formulation of plans, and extensive publicity, all localities actively participated in the establishment of child-friendly cities, and promoted the transformation of “child-friendly” from concept to reality. In addition, the revolution of sanitary toilets in rural areas was steadily promoted, and the standardization of centralized drinking water sources at and above the township level was comprehensively strengthened, with the basic life-related infrastructure in urban areas greatly improved. In 2022, the coverage rate of sanitary toilets in rural areas exceeded 73%, an increase of 3% compared to 2021. The coverage rate of tap water in rural areas was 87.4%, an increase of 3.4% compared to 2021. The compliance rate for centralized drinking water source quality in cities at or above the prefecture level was 95.9%, an increase of 1.7% compared to 2021.
VII. Children and Legal Protection
(I) Judicial protections for minors were gradually improved. Pursuant to relevant provisions on the judicial protection of minors, legal aid and judicial aid were provided to minors in accordance with law. By the end of 2022, a total of 2,181 juvenile courts, and 2,207 specialized agencies for minor prosecution were established nationwide, an increase of 31 compared to 2021. In 2022, there were 156,000 cases of minors receiving legal aid. Moreover, 19,000 minors received judicial assistance from the People’s Court, the People’s Procuratorate and the judicial system.
(II) Violations and crimes against children were severely punished in accordance with law. The “Reunion” Special Action to search for abducted children was intensively carried out, and illegal criminal acts that infringed on the legitimate rights and interests of children through the internet were severely punished in accordance with the law. In 2022, a total of 11,000 cases of child molestation and 824 cases of child trafficking were cracked across the country. Illegal websites and platforms that violate children’s rights and interests were investigated and treated for 33 times.
(III) The number and proportion of minor offenders decreased. All types of cases involving minors were heard fairly in accordance with law, and minors involved in crimes were educated and rescued to the greatest extent possible to truly preserve the lawful rights and interests of minors, and effectively prevent minor crime. In 2022, the total number of juvenile offenders nationwide was 28,000, a decrease of 7,000 compared to 2021, which accounted for 1.94% of the total number of offenders during the same period, a decrease of 0.08% compared to 2021.
Notes:
[1] The consolidation rate of nine-year compulsory education refers to the percentage of junior high school graduates in the total number of students when they were enrolled in primary schools in the first grade.
[2] The gross enrollment rate for junior high schools refers to the percentage of total students enrolled in junior high schools within the population of the age group specified by the state for junior high schools. Since the students in non-regular age groups (under-age or over-age students) are included, the gross enrollment rate may exceed 100%.
[3] Senior high school education includes regular senior high schools, regular technical secondary schools, technical secondary schools for adults, vocational high schools, affiliated secondary vocational classes, technician training schools and the Secondary Vocational Department of the Open University of China.
[4] Secondary vocational education includes regular technical secondary schools, technical secondary schools for adults, vocational high schools, affiliated secondary vocational classes, and technician training schools.
[5] Full-time teachers for special education include full-time teachers responsible for special education in special education schools and special education classes affiliated with other schools, excluding the full-time teachers in teaching classes of general education established in special education schools.
[6] Varied forms of special education consist of special education schools, special education classes affiliated with other schools, learning in regular classes at regular schools, and delivering teachers to homes.
[7] Orphans refer to minors under the age of 18 who have lost their parents or cannot locate their birth parents, as recognized by local civil affairs departments at or above the county level in accordance with applicable regulations and conditions, and have received basic living allowances for orphans. Among them, orphans in centralized institutional care refer to those raised or fostered by social welfare institutions, while socially dispersed orphans refer to those who are dispersedly supported in society and whose legal guardians undertake the obligation of supporting them and fulfilling their guardianship duties.
[8] De facto unsupported orphans refer to children whose both parents meet one of the following conditions: severe disabilities, severe illness, serving imprisonment, undergoing mandatory isolation and detoxification, being subject to other measures that restrict personal freedom, missing, having their guardianship qualifications revoked, or having been deported (expelled) out of the country; or children whose one parent has died or gone missing, and the other parent meets one of the aforementioned conditions.