HONG KONG, Aug 15 (Reuters) - China's fertility rate is estimated to have dropped to a record low of 1.09 in 2022, the National Business Daily said on Tuesday, a figure likely to rattle authorities as they try to boost the country's declining number of new births.

China's fertility rate is already one of the world's lowest alongside South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Concerned about China's first population drop in six decades and its rapid ageing population, Beijing is urgently trying an array of measures to lift the birth rate including financial incentives and improved childcare facilities.

China has said it will focus on education, science and technology to improve population quality and strive to maintain a "moderate fertility" level to support economic growth in future.

Gender discrimination and traditional stereotypes of women caring for their children are still widespread throughout the country.

Authorities have in recent months increased rhetoric on sharing the duty of child rearing but paternity leave is still limited in most provinces.

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