Statistical Monitoring Report of China National Program for Child Development (2021-2030) in 2023

National Bureau of Statistics of China, January 2025

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 carried out a thorough analysis of its implementation progress in 2023 in seven aspects: children’s health, safety, education, welfare, family, environment, and legal protection.  The analysis drew upon the statistical monitoring indicators system and relevant departmental data pertaining to the Program. The results revealed that[1] the Program made smooth strides in 2023, with a notable improvement in children’s health, an effective guarantee for children’s safety, comprehensive protection of children’s right to access to education, further consolidated and improved children’s welfare, a gradually shaped system of family and childbirth support policies, a continuously optimized growth environment for children, and a further strengthened mechanism for children’s legal protection.

I. Children and Health

(I) The level of children's health has markedly improved. It was an ongoing improvement to the children’s health service system that provided strong support for their healthy growth and development. As of the end of 2023, there were 3,063 maternity and child care institutions and 162 children’s hospitals across China. The number of personnel working in the maternity and child care institutions was 577,000 and the population of practicing (and assistant) pediatric physicians reached 234,000. Additionally, the number of pediatric beds totaled 588,000 nationwide. In 2023, the national neonatal mortality rate, infant mortality rate, and mortality rate for children under the age of 5 were 2.8 per mille, 4.5 per mille, and 6.2 per mille respectively, decreased by 0.3, 0.4, and 0.6 permillage points compared to that in 2022.

(II) Measures for the comprehensive prevention and control of birth defects have been continuously improved. The 2023-2027 Work Plan on Efficient Prevention and Control of Birth Defects has been issued and implemented to accelerate the development of a more comprehensive prevention and control chain that covers both urban and rural residents and spans all stages including pre-marriage, pre-pregnancy, pregnancy, newborn, and childhood. In 2023, the national premarital medical examination rate and the coverage rate of the target population for pre-pregnancy eugenics health check were 76.5 percent and 96.9 percent, respectively, marking an increase of 1.7 percentage points and 5.1 percentage points compared to 2022. The rates of prenatal examination and prenatal screening increased by 0.3 percentage points and 2.6 percentage points to reach 98.2 percent and 91.3 percent, respectively. The rate of newborn visits increased by 0.7 percentage points to reach 97.4 percent.

(III) The capacity of children's health care and medical services has been steadily enhanced. The further implementation of the Action Plan for Child Health Improvement (2021-2025) focused on areas such as children's physical growth monitoring, nutrition and feeding guidance, mental health, eye care, and oral health, with proactive efforts to advance the implementation of the National Essential Public Health Service Program on Child Health Management. In 2023, the health management rates for children under the age of 3 and for children under the age of 7 were 94.3 percent and 95.9 percent respectively, marking an increase of 1.0 percentage point compared to 2022. The coverage rate of eye health and vision checks for children aged 0-6 was 95.1 percent, marking an increase of 1.5 percentage points. Vaccines included in the National Immunization Program for eligible children have consistently maintained a vaccination rate of over 90 percent.

(IV) Greater efforts have been dedicated to protecting the physical and mental health of children. The multi-departmental issuance and implementation of the Special Action Plan for Comprehensively Strengthening and Improving the Mental Health Work of Students in the New Era (2023-2025) were centered around the implementation of targeted initiatives to promote students' mental health, with the goal of enhancing the physical fitness and mental well-being of children and adolescents in a holistic manner. In 2023, 56.6 percent of primary and secondary school students reached the National Standards for Students' Physical Health, representing an increase of 1.5 percentage points from 2022. The proportions of primary and secondary schools with full-time mental health education teachers were 42.3 percent and 64.8 percent, marking an increase of 9.1 percentage points and 6.2 percentage points, respectively. The proportion of secondary schools that offer education on HIV/AIDS and sex education-related courses and activities increased by 0.5 percentage points to reach 96.8 percent.

II. Children and Safety

(I) Greater efforts have been continuously made to prevent and control child injuries. Multiple departments have joined forces to enhance safety protection in high-risk public areas, with the aim of effectively preventing and responding to incidents such as drowning, while fostering a safer environment for children to grow. As part of the Action Plan for Students' Traffic Safety Enhancement (2023-2026), efforts focused on strengthening patrols and traffic control around school entrances and surrounding roads during peak school hours, aiming to significantly improve traffic safety in the areas surrounding schools.

(II) The regulation and supervision on children's food and products safety have been continuously reinforced. The Administrative Measures for the Registration of Product Formulas of Infant Formula Milk Powder have been revised and issued to enforce stricter registration management of infant formula milk powder products, strengthen supervision over the production and business operations of infant formula milk powder and ensure the quality and safety of such products. Over the past three years, the unqualified rate of infant formula milk powder in supervision and random inspections has remained below 0.02 percent. Focusing on food safety in schools, a food safety inspection and rectification campaign has been launched in the canteens of schools and childcare institutions, with stricter case investigations and harsher punishments. Efforts have been made to fully equip the canteens with necessary facilities and to promote the establishment of long-term mechanisms to safeguard the dietary safety of teachers and students.

III. Children and Education

(I) The development of high-quality and inclusive preschool education has been advanced. The multi-departmental issuance of the Opinions in relation to the Implementation of the Action Plan for the Expansion and Improvement of Elementary Education in the New Era ensured the implementation of measures to advance inclusive preschool education. In 2023, the gross enrollment rate for preschool education nationwide was 91.1 percent, representing an increase of 1.4 percentage points compared to 2022. The number of inclusive kindergartens amounted to 236,000, accounting for 86.2 percent of all kindergartens, up by 1.2 percentage points, and the coverage rate of inclusive kindergartens increased by 1.3 percentage points to reach 90.8 percent.

(II) Compulsory education has been advanced towards high-quality and balanced development. The Opinions on Building a Quality and Balanced Basic Public Education Service System have been issued and implemented to promote the high-quality and balanced development of compulsory education, with the increased education funding and the optimized allocation of teaching resources, to ensure different student groups an equal opportunity for development. In 2023, the consolidation rate of nine-year compulsory education was 95.7 percent, marking an increase of 0.2 percentage points compared to 2022. The total investment in compulsory education nationwide reached 2.8427 trillion yuan[2], representing an increase of 6.0 percent, which accounted for 44.0 percent of the total national education funding, reflecting an increase of 0.3 percentage points. The total per capita education expenditure for regular primary school students nationwide stood at 15,895 yuan, up by 4.3 percent; the total per capita education expenditure for regular junior high school students nationwide stood at 22,054 yuan, up by 2.7percent. And there were a total of 196,000 schools at the compulsory education level in China, staffed with 10.739 million full-time teachers, with an increase of 85,000 teachers. Of the total, the full-time teachers with a bachelor’s degree or above were 83.8 percent, marking an increase of 2.7 percentage points. The proportion of taken-along children of migrant workers who are attending public schools (including those benefiting from government-purchased services) during the compulsory education stage was 96.8 percent, marking an increase of 1.6 percentage points.

(III) Greater efforts have been dedicated to building senior high school education in a comprehensive manner. The initiative to develop regular senior high schools to their full potential continuously expanded the total amount of high-quality educational resources in regular senior high schools, and further improved the popularization rate of regular senior high schools. In 2023, the gross enrollment rate for senior high schools increased by 0.2 percentage points from 2022 to reach 91.8 percent. There were a total of 25,000 senior high schools nationwide, with an increase of 156 schools, of which 15,000 are regular senior high schools, with an increase of 355 schools. The total number of students enrolled in senior secondary education reached 45.922 million, an increase of 576,000 students; and 16.269 million students were admitted in 2023, marking an increase of 56,000 new enrollees.

(IV) The resources for special education have gradually expanded. The in-depth implementation of the“14th Five-Year” Plan for the Development and Enhancement of Special Education has brought an increase in the supply of special education resources and has further strengthened the integrated development of special education. In 2023, there were 2,345 special education schools nationwide, with an increase of 31 compared to 2022. There were 77,000 full-time special education teachers, up by 6.0 percent; There were 912,000 students enrolled in special education across nationwide, of which 341,000 were enrolled in special education schools, accounting for 37.4 percent; while 571,000 students were enrolled in other schools, making up 62.6 percent.

IV. Children and Welfare

(I) The level of child welfare was continuously improved. The ever-improving system for children's welfare protection and assistance resulted in the steady advancement in the basic living security standards for orphans and de facto unsupported children. The average monthly security standard for de facto unsupported orphans was 1,445.3 yuan, with an increase of 85.8 yuan over 2022, and a total of 6.613 million children were provided with the subsistence allowance. The rehabilitation and assistance system for children with disabilities was comprehensively implemented to enhance the level of rehabilitation support for children with disabilities. In 2023, a total of 468,000 children with disabilities received rehabilitation and related assistance, with an increase of 61,000 compared to the previous year.

(II) The grassroots children’s work teams provided strong support. The demonstration training for child directors was conducted across regions to reinforce the standardized development of the child director workforce. As the end of 2023, the number of child supervisors and child directors nationwide reached 43,000 and 582,000, respectively, essentially achieving the objective of equipping child supervisors at the township level and child directors at the village level. The number of community-based children's homes in urban and rural areas increased by 2,226 from 2022 to reach a total of 337,000.

V. Children and Family

(I) The family education guidance service system covering both urban and rural areas was progressively established. The Law of the People's Republic of China on Family Education Promotion was strongly publicized, and theFive-Year Plan on the Guidance and Development of Family Education (2021-2025)was thoroughly implemented, to accelerate the construction of family education guidance service positions covering urban and rural areas. In 2023, the number of urban community parent schools or family education guidance service stations was 100,000, and the number of rural community (village) parent schools or family education guidance service stations was 323,000.

(II) The construction of a childcare service supply system accelerated. The Guiding Opinions on Further Improving and Implementing Supportive Measures for Active Childbearing should be fully followed, with efforts to increase the supply of childcare services through multiple channels and create a supportive environment for fertility. As the end of 2023, a total of 99,700 institutions across the country provided childcare services, with a total of 4.77 million childcare spots, and 3.38 childcare spots for children under the age of 3 per 1,000 people nationwide, an increase of 0.81 from the end of 2022.

VI. Children and Environment

(I) The public cultural services for children were well-secured. The availability of public cultural products for teenagers and children was consistently increasing, while the range of public cultural services continued to grow and diversify. In 2023, a total of 45,000 types and 1.01 billion copies (or pieces) of children's books for junior high school and below were published nationwide, an increase of 1,015 types compared to 2022; a total of 2.657 million boxes (or units) of children's audio-visual products were published. The public libraries nationwide held a collection of 210 million children’s literature, an increase of 19.438 million. The total broadcast time of children’s radio programs, children’s TV animations and children’s TV programs was 271,000 hours, 473,000 hours and 636,000 hours, respectively. There were 300 million visits to museums by minors throughout the year, which was twice the number of visits in 2022.

(II) The environment for children’s growth continued to optimize. Solid strides were made in transforming rural drinking water safety into rural water supply security, as well as in the standardized construction of water source areas and the establishment of backup water source areas, so as to ensure the safety of drinking water in both urban and rural areas. In 2023, compliance rate for centralized drinking water source quality in cities at or above the prefecture level nationwide was 96.5 percent, marking an increase of 0.6 percentage points compared to 2022. As of the end of 2023, the tap water coverage rate in rural areas reached 90 percent, an increase of 3.0 percentage points compared to the end of 2022. A regularized, 'one-on-one,' multi-tiered technical service system for toilet renovation in rural areas has been established to accelerate the seamless integration of toilet renovation with domestic sewage treatment, enhance the quality and effectiveness of rural toilet renovation, and continuously improve the rural living environment. As of the end of 2023, the coverage rate of sanitary toilets in rural areas was around 75 percent, an increase of 2.0 percentage points compared to the end of 2022.

(III) The social environment for children's growth has been more harmonious. The Opinions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Strengthening the Work of the Young Pioneers in the New Era have been fully implemented to actively build education resources on off-campus practice for the Young Pioneers and provide a favorable environment for Young Pioneers to participate in extracurricular activities nearby. In 2023, there were a total of 25,000 community-based practice and education camps (bases) for Young Pioneers, an increase of 24.1 percent compared to 2022. The construction of child-friendly cities continued to progress, with 54 cities having initiated the development of national child-friendly cities as of December 2023.

VII. Children and Legal Protection

(I) Comprehensive judicial protection for minors has been further strengthened. So far, China has taken steps to refine the mechanisms for juvenile trial work based on the sound principle that best serves the interests of minors, and judicial protection for minors has been strengthened in all respects. By the end of 2023, there were a total of 2,384 specialized agencies for minor prosecution nationwide, an increase of 177 compared to the end of 2022; there were a total of 2,181 juvenile courts nationwide; and there were a total of 3,066 legal aid institutions, with an increase of 47. In 2023, a total of 198,000 instances of legal assistance were provided to minors, marking an increase of 42,000 compared to 2022; Moreover, 23,000 minors received judicial assistance from People’s Court, the People’s Procuratorate and the judicial system, with an increase of 3,449.

(II) Violations and crimes against children were severely punished in accordance with law. The China's Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking (2021-2030) has been thoroughly implemented, with summer security crackdowns and rectification actions conducted for two consecutive years to vigorously combat the trafficking of women and children in strict accordance with the law. In 2023, a total of 436 cases of child trafficking and 11,000 cases of child molestation were cracked across the country.

Notes:

[1] The data released in this report were all on a comparable basis. The totals or relative figures for certain data may be subject to calculation discrepancies due to rounding and differences in the choice of measurement units.

[2] The data on education funding for 2023 is sourced from the 2023 Statistical Bulletin on Educational Spending released by the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China.