Economic measures sought as marriage rates keep falling

Registrations of newlywed couples drop as dating pool shrinks, attitudes shift

China's marriage rate continued to decline last year, reflecting both a shrinking pool of eligible partners and changing views on marriage, an expert said, calling for stronger measures to encourage unions.

Registrations of married couples fell to about 6.11 million in 2024, a drop of 20.5 percent from the previous year, according to the 2024 Statistical Bulletin on the Development of Civil Affairs, released on Wednesday by the Ministry of Civil Affairs. The figure is less than half the number recorded in 2014.

The bulletin also said the marriage rate stood at 4.3 per 1,000 people in 2024, down 1.1 points year-on-year and marking the lowest since 2020.