China has reported a significant drop in marriage registrations for the first nine months of 2024, amidst efforts to control its declining population.According to the ministry of civil affairs, only 4.747 million couples got married in this period. This decline follows 5.690 million marriage registrations during the same period in 2023, marking a year-on-year decrease of 943,000 registrations, as calculated by Reuters.
The latest figures, released on Friday, show that rising living costs and economic uncertainty are causing many young couples to delay marriage. This poses a challenge for lawmakers looking to address the shrinking population.
In response to the situation, China has updated a draft law to make marriage registration easier but has made it harder to get a divorce. For the first three quarters of 2024, 1.967 million divorces were registered, a slight decrease of 6,000 compared to the previous year.
Earlier this year, China experienced its second annual decline in births, prompting initiatives aimed at encouraging a “new-era” culture of marriage and childbearing.
Many young Chinese people are choosing to stay single or delay marriage because of job uncertainties and worries about the future. Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed the role of women in creating a “new trend of family.”