A warning of impending condom price hikes from the world's largest manufacturer has sparked a viral discussion across Chinese social media, with users contemplating stockpiling.
The hashtag "condom prices rising" has garnered over 60 million views on platforms like Weibo, China's equivalent of X, as the ongoing Iran crisis begins to impact everyday life, even extending to the bedroom.
The surge in online comments follows an announcement from Goh Miah Kiat, CEO of Malaysian condom maker Karex Bhd.
He stated the company intends to increase prices by 20-30 per cent, with potential for further rises if supply chain disruptions, exacerbated by the conflict in Iran, persist.
Many users expressed that elevated costs would not deter them from purchasing condoms for pregnancy protection, while others actively encouraged fellow consumers to begin stockpiling.
"A few dozen yuan for a condom is a hundred times more cost-effective than raising a child at a million yuan," said one user.
"From now on, not only will we have to be frugal, but we'll also have to stock up on condoms in advance," said another.
The online conversations erupted in the past 24 hours and come as Chinese authorities are trying a range of policy measures to boost the country's flagging birth rate, which has been falling for decades, to offset an ageing population. Last year, births hit a record low.
Karex produces over 5 billion condoms annually and is a supplier to leading brands such as Durex and Trojan.
A price rise for condoms would add to the already increasing cost of family planning in China.
At the start of the year, China removed a three-decade-old tax exemption on contraceptive drugs and devices. Condoms and contraceptive pills are subject to a value-added tax of 13%, the standard rate for most consumer goods.
Condom companies Reckitt, LifeStyles, Ansell, and Renfu, which sell in China, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The world's second-most populous nation saw its population continue to shrink for the fourth consecutive year. In 2025, China's total population stood at 1.404 billion, a reduction of 3 million compared to the previous year.
The statistics illustrate the stark demographic pressures the country faces. The number of new babies born was just 7.92 million in 2025, a decline of 1.62 million, or 17 per cent.
The latest birth numbers show the slight tick upwards in 2024 was not a lasting trend. Births declined for seven years in a row through 2023.
Most families cite the costs and pressure of raising a child in a highly competitive society as significant hurdles that now loom larger in the face of an economic downturn that has impacted households struggling to meet their living costs.