Many factors responsible for more people tying knot last year

There was a sizable uptick in the number of new marriages registered last year in China after nine straight years of decline, amid concerns about falling birthrates and a growing aging population.

Demographers said the rebound was due to a mix of factors, including the end of the COVID-19 pandemic and a culture-driven desire to tie the knot in an auspicious year.

Last year, 7.68 million couples registered their marriages in China, up 845,000 or more than 12 percent year-on-year, according to a closely watched quarterly report published by the Ministry of Civil Affairs on Friday on its website.