China is considering paying couples to have a second baby after the scrapping of rules limiting family sizes failed to produce an expected baby boom.

Authorities imposed a “one-child policy” for almost four decades which was enforced with mass sterilisations, coerced abortions and violent intimidation from officials.

Beijing relaxed the intrusive regulations in January last year after fears there were too few young people to support the growing ranks of elderly.

The increase of 1.3 million births was below initial expectations that up to three million extra babies would be born every year for the next five years.