China's Marriage Rate Hits Record Low, Deepening Demographic Challenges

Marriage registrations in China fell by 20% in 2024, reflecting economic pressures, shifting social attitudes, and long-term population concerns.

China recorded just 6.1 million marriages in 2024, a 20% drop from the previous year and the lowest figure since records began in 1986.
The decline in marriages coincides with a third consecutive year of population decline, despite a slight increase in births attributed to the Year of the Dragon.
Economic factors like high childcare costs, job insecurity, and rising living expenses are discouraging young couples from marrying and starting families.
Government measures, including financial incentives, 'love education,' and campaigns to promote marriage and childbearing, have yet to reverse the downward trend.
Experts warn that the demographic crisis, driven by fewer marriages and an aging population, could undermine China's economic and social stability in the long term.