China's Finance Ministry Plans RMB 12.4 Trillion Social Spending for 2026, Up 5.4%

At a State Council Information Office press conference this morning on the "15th Five-Year Plan" series, the Ministry of Finance outlined 2026 social spending plans. General public budget allocations for education, social security, health, and housing will total RMB 12.4 trillion in 2026, up 5.4% from 2025 and 1 percentage point higher than the growth rate of overall general public budget expenditure.

For services covering the elderly and young children, dedicated 2026 funds will support free influenza vaccination for rural residents aged 65 and above. More than 25 million infants and their families received 2026 childcare subsidies, and approximately 24 million kindergarten children benefited from a policy waiving childcare and education fees for the year before primary school.

In basic medical and health services, government subsidies for resident medical insurance will be further raised in 2026 to ease the medical burden on the public. Support will also be provided to include the bivalent HPV vaccine in the national immunization program and ensure vaccination services for girls who turn 13.

To address long-term care challenges, central finance is accelerating the establishment of a long-term care insurance system. In addition, more than RMB 12 billion has been allocated to roll out nationwide consumption subsidies for care services for elderly people with moderate to severe disability, benefiting nearly 2 million such individuals.