China’s marriage registrations fall, highlighting challenges to population growth

China has reported a significant decline in marriage registrations for the first nine months of 2024, according to official data from the Ministry of Civil Affairs. A total of 4.747 million couples registered their marriages nationwide during this period, reflecting a year-on-year decrease of 943,000, based on calculations by Reuters.

This latest data was released by the government on Friday. In comparison, 5.690 million marriage registrations were recorded in the same period in 2023, which had seen an increase from 2022. The current trend indicates growing economic uncertainty and rising living costs, prompting many young couples to delay marriage, which raises concerns for lawmakers advocating for policies to boost the nation’s shrinking population.

In response, China has revised a draft law to simplify the marriage registration process, while making it more challenging to file for divorce. For the first three quarters of 2024, 1.967 million divorces were registered, showing a slight decrease of 6,000 from the previous year.

Earlier this year, China experienced its second consecutive annual drop in nationwide births, leading the government to implement initiatives in major cities aimed at encouraging a “new-era” marriage and childbearing culture. The topics of marriage and parenthood have sparked intense discussions among young Chinese, with many opting to remain single or postpone marriage due to poor job prospects and concerns about the future amid a slowdown in the country’s economic growth.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has emphasized the importance of women in establishing a “new trend of family.”