The number of marriages in China dropped to its lowest level in 2024 since records began in 1986, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs. This trend exacerbates the country’s demographic challenges, as most provinces only allow babies born to married parents to be officially registered. The birth rate crisis is one of the biggest challenges facing the world’s second-largest economy. China’s population has been shrinking for three consecutive years, and the rapid aging of its citizens, along with a declining workforce, threatens to weaken the country’s economic model and social welfare system.
In 2024, only 6.1 million couples tied the knot, marking a 20.5% drop from the previous year. This figure is less than half of the 13 million marriages recorded in 2013, the highest on record. The year-over-year decline is even more striking considering that 2023 saw the first increase in marriages in a decade, with 7.68 million weddings. However, this rise did not indicate a shift in people’s attitudes toward marriage but was instead attributed to delays caused by nearly three years of pandemic-related restrictions.
Meanwhile, the number of divorces reached 2.82 million in 2024, a 1.1% increase from the previous year. While marriages have steadily declined since 2013 (with the exception of 2023), divorces increased annually between 2014 and 2019, peaking at 3.4 million. In 2021, the government introduced a 30-day “cooling-off period” for couples seeking divorce in an effort to curb separations. The measure sparked controversy, particularly as several cases of domestic violence raised concerns about its proper enforcement.
The difficulties associated with divorce are one reason why many young women are increasingly reluctant to marry. Although the cooling-off period is not supposed to apply in cases of abuse, some incidents have cast doubt on how effectively this policy is being implemented.
The Chinese government is pushing for more marriages as a strategy to slow its demographic crisis. Most births in the country occur within marriage, but access to assisted reproductive technologies remains limited to married women, and only a few regions allow single mothers to register their children. For this reason, experts warn that the birth rate is likely to decline again in 2025. In 2024, there was a slight uptick in births for the first time since 2017, attributed to the rise in marriages in 2023 and the fact that the year coincided with the Year of the Dragon in the lunar calendar—an auspicious sign in Chinese culture that may have encouraged some parents to delay conception in hopes of having a “dragon baby.”
To try to reverse the trend, China’s Family Planning Association has launched programs promoting a “new culture of marriage and motherhood,” but the message has struggled to resonate with younger generations, who face rising living costs and a more uncertain job market than their parents did. In November, the government urged local authorities to allocate resources to encourage marriage and childbirth. Some cities have introduced tax breaks, housing subsidies, cash incentives, and childcare support. According to a study by the YuWa Population Research Institute, China is one of the most expensive countries in the world to raise children.
Another initiative introduced last year was the inclusion of “love education” courses in some universities and vocational schools. A student at Peking University shared on Xiaohongshu (China’s version of Instagram) that her professor teaches “the meaning and complexities of love” and emphasizes that students are at the “perfect age” and in the “ideal place” to find a life partner.
President Xi Jinping himself has stressed the need for women to play a “unique role” in promoting traditional virtues and family stability. However, the gap between the Communist Party’s expectations and women’s aspirations is widening. More young women are prioritizing personal development and career advancement, and the average age at which they marry has increased. In 2013, only one in ten women aged 30 was unmarried; a decade later, that figure has risen to one in five.
The government’s extensive control over citizens’ personal lives has raised concerns. Sociologists and advocacy groups warn that Beijing may tighten reproductive policies—just as it did with the notorious one-child policy enforced from 1980 to 2015—but this time, to boost population growth. While the official goal is for married couples to have up to three children, few families can afford to do so.
