China has unveiled a new proposal urging cities to integrate youth development into urban planning, aiming to make urban life more supportive for young people, children, and families.

This comprehensive blueprint, jointly issued by 15 departments, seeks to deepen the construction of "youth-development-oriented cities" with measures covering jobs, housing, healthcare, and public services.

The initiative follows Beijing's March announcement to build a "childbirth friendly society" from 2026-2030.

It comes as authorities strive to reverse China's demographic decline, after official data showed births fell to 7.92 million in 2025, with the birth rate dropping to a record low.

China's population decreased by 3.39 million last year, marking the fourth consecutive annual decline.

Proposed measures include improving matchmaking and social services, expanding childcare subsidies, and promoting wider coverage of mother-and-baby rooms in public places.

Further provisions involve enhancing maternity and paediatric care, strengthening after-school and holiday childcare services, and ensuring more equal school access for the children of migrant workers.

"By 2030, the concept of youth-development-oriented cities will be widely established," the policy said, adding that by 2035 China aims to have formed a "relatively mature and complete system for youth development."

China also issued a blueprint on high-quality urban development last year, aimed at creating more liveable cities by 2035.

The pivot comes after breakneck urban growth that once super-charged the world's second largest economy, as authorities shift their focus from rapid growth to improving quality of life and stable development.

Authorities have introduced a range of incentives, from direct cash subsidies to controversial taxes on condoms, in a bid to reverse the falling birth rates.

However, these initiatives have yet to yield the desired results, as evidenced by new population figures released on Monday.

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.