China records record decline in marriages, divorces on the rise!

A new record has been set for the number of marriages in China. A record low number of marriages were registered in the country in 2024. Despite various initiatives by the Chinese government to address the demographic crisis, the desired results are not coming. This information was revealed in a report released by the Chinese Ministry of Civil Service on Saturday. The report said that only 6.1 million couples registered marriages in the country in 2024, which is 20.5 percent less than the previous year. This is the lowest number since the publication of these statistics began in 1986.

Analysts say that the decline in marriages is also causing the country's birth rate to fall, which has become a major challenge for Beijing. As a result, on the one hand, the labor force is shrinking, and on the other hand, the number of elderly people is increasing, negatively affecting the economy. In 2013, 13 million marriages were registered, less than half of that number in 2024. In addition to the decline in the number of marriages, divorces have also increased in the country.

In 2024, about 2.6 million couples filed for divorce, which is about 28,000 more than in 2023. Although the Chinese government has introduced a 30-day ‘cooling-off’ or reconsideration period for divorce since 2021, the divorce rate is not decreasing. It remains to be seen how this trend of declining marriages and increasing divorces in China will affect the country’s future economy and social system.

Experts are now speculating on how much of a challenge this situation will pose in the future for China, one of the world’s largest economies. Stay tuned for more details in our next update.