Hong Kong ( CNN ) A year ago , China relaxed its controversial one-child policy , allowing couples to have a second baby if the mother or father was an only child themselves . It was hailed as a major liberalization of the three-decades old restriction , but new figures suggest that fewer people than expected are taking the plunge and expanding their family . Nationwide , nearly one million couples eligible under the new rules have applied to have a second child , state media reported on Monday . It 's estimated that 11 million couples are eligible for additional children , and health officials had said that the policy would lead to as many as two million new births when the policy change was first announced . In the capital Beijing , around 30,000 couples have submitted applications for a second child , fewer than the 50,000 expected , state news agency Xinhua reported . The situation in other cities such as Shanghai and Shenzhen is similar , it added . Many parents feel like Beijing resident Eason , a father of a three-year-old who fears the financial burden another baby would bring . He declined to give his full name . `` Raising our only child is already taking up a very significant part of our expenditure , '' he said . `` Having another baby would cost more for their education , housing , and such . '' `` Taking care of only one child is very energy-consuming for the two of us and our parents . '' Others , like Zhang Li , are going ahead with plans to get pregnant but face opposition from family members . `` My parents are strongly against us having a second baby . They think it will bring much more financial obligations . Plus , no one will have the time and energy to take care of the newborn , '' she told CNN . Attitudes like these worry demographers , who warn that China faces the prospect of growing old before it gets wealthy enough to look after its elderly . Many think China should scrap its birth control policy entirely to ensure the country has enough workers to support an aging population . There have been reports that this might happen as soon as 2016 . `` Long term demographics are a concern . China is sometimes compared with Japan , where economic problems have in part stemmed from demographic trends , '' said Brian Jackson , a Beijing-based economist at research group IHS Global Insight . Perhaps China 's leaders are hoping that parents are simply putting their baby-making plans on hold until fortunes are a little more assured . The upcoming Lunar New Year , which begins in February , marks the Year of the Sheep in the Chinese Zodiac ; `` sheep babies '' are traditionally believed to be meek and encounter bad luck . CNN intern Sherry Fei Ju in Beijing contributed to this report .
Wary of changing demographics , Chinese authorities recently relaxed the country 's controversial one-child policy . The government has also been trying to encourage more women into higher education and work by offering financial incentives for students who go on to get a university degree or find jobs in fields such as medicine and The financial burden of another child is often cited as a main reason for not taking advantage of the policy change .