Chinese women's health notably improved: white paper

BEIJING -- A white paper released Friday by the State Council Information Office highlighted Chinese women's notable improvement in health thanks to the country's efforts to put women and children at the core of its health initiatives.

By improving institutional arrangements and optimizing resource allocation, the country provides women with full life-cycle health services, successfully extending the life expectancy of women in China to 80.9 years in 2020, according to the white paper, titled "China's Achievements in Women's Well-Rounded Development in the New Era."

The white paper emphasized that China has integrated its maternal and child healthcare network into the national medical and healthcare framework covering 1.4 billion people. From 2012 to 2023, the number of health professionals at maternal and child healthcare institutions increased from 277,000 to 537,000, and the actual number of beds rose from 187,000 to 295,000. At present, China has 3,081 such institutions.

China has made breakthroughs in solving key issues in women's health. China has strengthened its resource coordination to integrate the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS, syphilis and hepatitis B into major public health service programs. In 2024, the rate of mother-to-child HIV transmission in China fell to 1.2 percent, meeting the targets for eliminating mother-to-child HIV transmission.

China has also promoted the comprehensive prevention and treatment of cervical cancer and breast cancer. Between 2009 and 2024, 342 million free screenings for cervical cancer and 245 million free screenings for breast cancer were carried out nationwide. Between 2012 and 2024, the central government allocated 3.01 billion yuan (about $423 million) for treatment and support for women with these forms of cancer. HPV vaccination has been incorporated into the government's public welfare initiatives in 18 provinces as of June 2025, benefiting 5 million girls of eligible age annually through free vaccination programs, noted the white paper.

By the end of 2024, youth health education services had been provided in more than 10,000 elementary and high schools and more than 1,000 higher education institutions across the country. Since 2012, the national hospital delivery rate has remained above 99 percent. The maternal mortality rate has dropped by 76.9 percent, from 61.9 per 100,000 in 1995 to 14.3 per 100,000 in 2024 — far below the global average.