RECORD LOW MARRIAGE RATE IN CHINA SPARKS CONCERNS OVER BIRTH DECLINE

Fri 14 February 2025:

China’s marriage rate has hit a 44-year low, with only 6.1 million couples tying the knot in 2024 – a 20.5% decline from the previous year.

Meanwhile, divorces increased by 1.1%. This sharp decline in marriages is expected to lead to a decrease in the birth rate in 2025, according to data from China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs.

“Given that the vast majority of births in China occur within marriage … the sharp decline in marriage registrations in 2024 is a clear indicator that the birth rate will continue to drop in 2025,” said independent demographer He Yafu, as quoted by the media outlet.

China’s demographic challenges are exacerbated by persistently low birth rates, driven by a shrinking number of women of childbearing age and young people delaying marriage and parenthood due to social and economic pressures.

Although the country saw a slight rise in births and marriage registrations in 2024, experts consider it an outlier, predicting that the downward trend will persist in the coming years.

The birth rate was 6.77 per 1,000 people in 2024, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

Beijing has implemented policies to counter the decline in marriage and birth rates, but they have yet to show significant effects.

China’s population stood at 1.4 billion in 2024, marking the third consecutive annual decline since 2021.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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