- China experiences a record low in the number of registered marriages in 2022.
- The decline in weddings is attributed to Covid lockdowns and a shrinking population.
- China’s birth rate hits a record low, raising concerns about aging and economic implications.
In 2022, the number of marriages in China fell to its lowest level since records began, local news outlet Yicai reported on Sunday, continuing a gradual decline over the past decade, although the total may have been affected by strict Covid lockdowns.
Fewer than 6.83 million couples registered their marriages last year, according to data published on the website of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, a decrease of approximately 800,000 from the previous year.
The decline in marriage, which follows pandemic restrictions that kept tens of millions of people confined to their homes or compounds for weeks last year, coincides with a declining birth rate and a shrinking population.
China’s population fell for the first time in six decades in 2022, which is anticipated to mark the beginning of a long period of population decline that will have profound effects on China’s economy and the global community.
From 7.52 in 2021 to 6.77 in 2022, China’s birth rate fell to a historic low. As China’s workforce declines and its indebted local governments spend more on the elderly population, demographers warn that the country will age before it becomes wealthy.
China announced last month that it would initiate pilot projects in more than 20 cities to foster a “new-era” marriage and childbearing culture to promote marriage and increase the country’s lagging birth rate.
Some provinces are also extending paid marriage leave for young spouses.
