The one-child policy was introduced in China in 1978 to address social, economic, and environmental problems caused by overpopulation. It restricted urban families to only one child, with exceptions for rural families and ethnic minorities. The policy led to a sharp decline in fertility rates from over 5 births per woman in the early 1970s to 1.8 births by 2008. The Chinese government estimates the policy prevented over 250 million additional births, reducing population growth and associated problems. However, the policy was also controversial due to issues like forced abortions and underreporting of female births leading to gender imbalance. While still officially in place, the policy has become more relaxed in recent years.