Chinese Marriages Slid by a Fifth in 2024, Further Fanning Birthrate Concerns

Reuters

14:35 JST, February 10, 2025

HONG KONG, Feb 10 (Reuters) – Marriages in China dropped by a fifth last year despite manifold efforts by authorities to encourage young couples to wed and have children to boost the country’s declining population.

More than 6.1 million couples registered for marriage last year, down from 7.68 million a year earlier, figures from the Ministry of Civil Affairs showed.

Declining interest in getting married and starting a family has long been blamed on the high cost of childcare and education in China. On top of that, sputtering economic growth over the past few years has made it difficult for university graduates to find work and those that do have jobs feel insecure about their long-term prospects.