A new report shows that marriage registration rates across China have dropped significantly, falling to their lowest levels in over a decade. According to the latest figures, only 7.6 out of every 1,000 people got legally married in 2022 – representing a substantial decline from 8.1 registrations per 1,000 people recorded the previous year.
This recent downturn marks the sixth consecutive year that marriage registration numbers have decreased in the country. Demographic experts analyzing the data have pointed to a variety of socioeconomic factors that seem to be discouraging young Chinese from tying the knot. The rising costs of living, long work hours with intense pressure on career progression, as well as changing cultural attitudes, are said to be playing a role in dampening people's interest in matrimony.
Some experts also believe that China's previous one-child policy, now replaced by a three-child allowance, continues to impact marriage and fertility rates among those in their late 20s and 30s who grew up as only children themselves. With fewer siblings around, there is often less familial pressure to start a family. High property prices are an additional barrier, as individuals find it harder to afford housing without family support.
While the government has introduced incentives in hopes of reversing the falling marriage trend, registration rates have continued declining. The latest record low adds to concerns over plummeting birth rates and a rapidly aging population structure in China over the coming decades. Policymakers will need to closely monitor the situation and consider additional measures to raise both marriage and fertility levels going forward.
