China’s new condom tax will prove no effective barrier to country’s declining fertility rate

The Asian giant is grappling with a dramatic population decline, with a fertility rate of 1.0, well below the 2.1 replacement rate.

By: Dudley L. Poston Jr., Texas A&M University, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: January 15, 2026

Words: 1,115

Last Updated: 2 months ago

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By Dudley L. Poston Jr., Texas A&M University

Once the world’s most populous nation, China is now among the many Asian countries struggling with anemic fertility rates. In an attempt to double the country’s rate of 1.0 children per woman, Beijing is reaching for a new tool: taxes on condoms, birth control pills and other contraceptives.

As of Jan. 1, such items were subject to a 13% value-added tax. Meanwhile, services such as …

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