<P> The one - child policy, a part of the family planning policy, was a population planning policy of China . It was introduced in 1979 and began to be formally phased out near the end of 2015 and the beginning of 2016 . The policy allowed exceptions for many groups, including ethnic minorities . Provincial governments imposed fines for violations, and the local and national governments created commissions to raise awareness and carry out registration and inspection work . </P> <P> According to the Chinese government, 400 million births were prevented . Scholars have widely disputed this claim with Martin King Whyte and Wang et al finding that the policy had little effect on population growth or the size of the total population . China has been compared to countries with similar socioeconomic development like Thailand and Iran, along with the Indian states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, which achieved similar declines of fertility without a one - child policy . Although 76% of Chinese people supported the policy in a 2008 survey, it was controversial outside of China . </P> <P> On October 29, 2015, it was reported that the existing law would be changed to a two - child policy, citing a statement from the Communist Party of China . The new law became effective on January 1, 2016, following its passage in the standing committee of the National People's Congress on December 27, 2015 . </P> <Table> <Tr> <Th_colspan="4"> Population in China </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Year </Th> <Th> Million </Th> <Th> Change </Th> <Th> Change / year </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1964 </Td> <Td> 694.6 </Td> <Td>------- </Td> <Td>------- </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1982 </Td> <Td> 1008.2 </Td> <Td> 313.6 </Td> <Td> + 17.42 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2000 </Td> <Td> 1265.8 </Td> <Td> 257.6 </Td> <Td> + 14.31 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> 1568.9 </Td> <Td> 259.4 </Td> <Td> + 25.94 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="4"> Source: Census of China </Td> </Tr> </Table>

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