Charts of the Day: China’s New Marriages Fall to 46-Year Low
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Last year, the number of couples tying the knot dropped again in China, tumbling to the lowest level in 46 years and fueling concerns over the country’s looming demographic crisis.
There were just 6.1 million new marriage registrations in 2024, down 20.5% from the previous year and less than half the peak figure of 13.5 million recorded in 2013, according to data published Saturday by the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
While marriages saw an uptick to 7.7 million in 2023 — after declining to 6.8 million in 2022 as China battled the Covid pandemic — last year’s figure shows that the downward trend isn’t over.
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- China's marriage registrations hit a 46-year low in 2024 at 6.1 million, a 20.5% drop from 2023, continuing a declining trend.
- The total fertility rate is declining, with 2024 estimates at 1.01, below replacement levels; births rose slightly in 2023 due to delayed childbirths.
- Economic challenges and competitive job markets contribute to low birth rates, prompting local governments to incentivize childbirth with subsidies.
- Trip.com Group Ltd.
- Trip.com Group Ltd. is mentioned in the article as having Liang Jianzhang as its executive chairman. Liang is a regular columnist on demography for Caixin and suggests implementing a "demographic development fund" to provide childcare funds to families across China to address the declining birth rate.
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