China's marriage rate hits record low

Reuters on February 10 cited data recently released by China's Ministry of Civil Affairs showing that the country's marriage rate fell to an unprecedented low last year, despite many efforts by the government to encourage young couples to marry and have children to cope with the declining population.

More than 6.1 million couples are expected to register their marriages in 2024, down about 20% from 7.68 million couples in 2023.

Couples take wedding photos in Shandong province (China) in April 2024

According to demographer Yi Fuxian at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (USA), this rate of decline is unprecedented, because even during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, the marriage rate only decreased by 12.2%. He warned that if this trend continues, "the Chinese government's political and economic ambitions will be undermined by the country's demographic weakness."

China’s declining interest in marriage and starting a family has long been blamed on the high costs of child care and education. In addition, slow economic growth in recent years has made it difficult for college graduates to find jobs and those in employment feel uncertain about their long-term prospects.

China has the world's second-largest population of 1.4 billion and is among the world's fastest-aging nations. About 300 million Chinese are expected to retire in the next decade. Chinese officials see the need to encourage marriage and childbearing as urgent. Measures taken last year included calling on colleges and universities to introduce "love education " to emphasize positive views on love, marriage, family and having children.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ty-le-ket-hon-o-trung-quoc-giam-ky-luc-185250210215204411.htm