China’s population woes deepen as marriage registrations plummet to lowest level since 1980

China recorded its lowest number of new marriages for four decades in 2024, in a sign that the country’s challenges with a declining birth rate and shrinking population are likely to deepen this year.

Last year, 6.10 million couples in China tied the knot, down 20.5 per cent from 2023, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs. The 2024 total is the lowest recorded since 1980.

Meanwhile, the number of divorces edged up by 1.1 per cent to 2.82 million in 2024, despite the fall in marriage registrations.

“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 He Yafu, an independent demographer based in southern China’s Guangdong province.

China’s demographic crisis is being compounded by its chronically low birth rate, a product of a declining number of women of childbearing age and a growing trend among young people to put off getting married and starting a family due a range of social and economic factors.

Despite government efforts to encourage couples to have more children, China’s population is widely expected to continue shrinking, creating a long-term policy challenge as the country grapples with a shrinking workforce and a rapidly ageing society.