China has ended its controversial one-child policy.

This is big. This is really big.

China has announced the end of its controversial one-child policy.

All couples will now be allowed two children, the official Xinhua news agency reported, citing a communique issued by the government after a four-day meeting in Beijing to chart the course of China’s economy.

Breaking news: China to end its one-child policy and allow all families to have two children https://t.co/yoZQFqrFk1 pic.twitter.com/0z1Cb6xS3E

— The New York Times (@nytimes) October 29, 2015

The one-child policy’s effectiveness has been debated since its implementation in 1980, AFP reports.

It intended reduce the country’s birth rate and slow the population growth rate, but it also widened the gender ratio, with a traditional preference for boys leading to a surplus of bachelors.

It has been criticised by human rights organisations for penalising families that had more than one child and for resulting in forced abortions. Couples who violated the policy also faced punishments ranging from fines and the loss of employment.

BBC reports the policy is estimated to have prevented about 400m births since it began.

The Communist Party started relaxing national rules on its birth policy two years ago, allowing a second child where at least one of the parents is an only child.

But troubling stories — like that of an eight-month-pregnant woman who feared her husband would lose his government job if she didn’t have an abortion — continued to draw criticism from the international community as recently as September this year.

The announcement comes during a summit of the Chinese Communist Party’s policy-making Central Committee, ahead of the announcement of new growth targets and its next five year plan.

China is now the world’s second largest economy.