With a population of around 1.4bn, China has been fighting the rapid population growth for decades now. The law prohibiting couples to have more than one child has been around since 1979.

However, to combat the dangers of an ailing population and gender imbalance- couples invariably prefer boys if they are going to have only one child- China’s government has decided to lift the policy and allow for couples to have two children.

The news was reported by China’s Xinhua news agency, citing a statement from the Communist Party’s Central Committee.

The one child policy, in effect since 1979, is estimated to have prevented about 400 million deaths, according to the BBC. The rule had been relaxed the past couple of years, especially to allow couples of whom at least one is an only child to have a second child.

Well. It’s official now- for everyone.