90m more to be eligible for 2nd child

Half of those who qualify are over 40, so only a fraction are likely to get pregnant, official says

The number of women in China eligible to have a second child will jump by more than 90 million when the latest family planning policy is adopted, with half of the additional women falling between 40 and 49 years of age, according to China's top health authority.

Currently, there are about 140 million women in the fertile age bracket who already have one child. Fifty million of those are eligible to have a second child now, Wang Peian, vice-minister of the National Health and Family Planning Commission, said at a news conference on Tuesday. That means 90 million more women will be eligible to have a second child once restrictions are removed, he said.