China, in Major Policy Shift, Announces Married Couples Can Now Have 3 Children

Two sisters play on their parents' electric scooter in Beijing on July 10, 2015. China's one-child policy has been in place for more than three decades, but facing the consequences of a dwindling workforce and a rapidly ageing population, Beijing has been loosening the rules in recent years to encourage more births. GREG BAKER/AFP/Getty Images

BEIJING—The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) announced on May 31 that married couples may have up to three children, a major policy shift from the existing limit of two after recent data showed a dramatic decline in births in the world’s most populous country.

The change was approved during a politburo meeting chaired by Chinese leader Xi Jinping, official state media Xinhua reported.