Hong Kong is offering couples US$2,500 (R12,400) to have children until 2026, with the aim of increasing the birth rate in the administrative region. However, residents claim that the amount does not cover the basic costs of having a child.
Hong Kong’s Prime Minister John Lee Kachiu announced the measure this Wednesday (October 25th). He explained that 20,000 Hong Kong dollars (US$2,556) would be provided.
The move is an attempt to boost the city’s “persistently low birth rate,” which has fallen to a record low of 0.9 births per woman, well below the 2.1 needed for a stable population.
The aid may seem worthwhile, but it falls short of the incentives offered by other East Asian countries that also struggle with low birth rates.
Singapore, with a birth rate of 1.05, offers support of US $ 8,036 (R 40.2 thousand) for the first and second children and US $ 9,497 (R 47.5 thousand) for the third child. The country also offers four weeks of paternity leave and 16 weeks of maternity leave.
South Korea, which has a birth rate of 0.78, currently pays US$518 (R$2,500) per month until the child turns one, and this amount is set to rise to R740 (R$3,700) next year.
In Japan, where the birth rate is 1.3, parents receive a monthly subsidy of US$107 (R$535) for each newborn up to the age of two. For each child between the ages of three and high school, parents receive US$66.7 (R$334) per month.