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The number of marriage registrations in many places in 2023 has shown a significant increase, marking the first rebound in recent years in China, media reported on Sunday.

According to the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Civil Affairs, 453,852 couples registered for marriage in East China's Jiangsu Province in 2023, local media reported. The number of marriage registrations has been declining year by year from 2019 to 2022, but has rebounded in 2023, with a growth rate of approximately 10.08 percent compared to 2022.

The data also shows that the average age of marriage registration in Jiangsu in 2023 is 31.39 years old, with an average age of 32.02 years for men and 30.75 years for women.

Specifically, the average age of first marriages in the province is 27.76 years old, with men at 28.48 years old and women at 26.97 years old. The average age of remarriages in the province is 38.33 years old, while that of second marriages is 41.77 years old.

According to the local government, 21,179 couples registered for marriage in Huaibei, East China's Anhui Province, in 2023, an increase of 91.87% compared to the previous year.

Additionally, in Liuyang city, Central China's Hunan Province, 5,443 couples registered for marriage in 2023, which marked the first increase since 2015, with an additional 458 couples compared to 2022.

Zhang Jian, director of the local civil affairs bureau's wedding registration center, said that since 1989, Liuyang's birth rate has been declining and has maintained this trend for nearly 30 years. The decrease in the birth population has led to a decrease in the number of eligible marriage candidates, which is the main reason for the continuous decline in the number of marriages in recent years.

"2023 is a year of economic recovery and development after the epidemic. The postponed demand for marriage during the epidemic has been released, and the implementation of a series of policies encouraging marriage and childbirth in recent years has also stimulated people's enthusiasm for marriage and childbirth," Zhang said.

The number of marriages nationwide has been declining for nine consecutive years since reaching a peak of 13.469 million couples in 2013. Among them, the number of marriages in China fell below 7 million couples in 2022, reaching 6.833 million couples, a decrease of 803,000 couples compared to the previous year.

However, in the first three quarters of 2023, the number of marriages registered nationwide was 5.69 million couples, an increase of 245,000 couples compared to the same period in 2022.

Dong Yuzheng, a population expert and a special researcher at the Guangdong Provincial Advisory Office, noted that in 2022, especially in the fourth quarter, due to factors such as the epidemic, some people postponed their marriages to 2023, so the number of marriages in 2023 increased. With that increase, the wedding economy in 2023 has shown a significant recovery, with wedding banquet hotels in high demand and wedding photography experiencing a surge in orders.

Experts noted that the increase in the number of marriages in 2023, combined with the impact of the Year of the Dragon in the Chinese zodiac, is expected to bring an increase in the birth population in 2024. However, the marriage and childbearing concepts of young people are also changing.

Looking ahead, although the number of marriages increased in 2023, factors such as a decrease in the number of people of marriageable age, a delay in the age of first marriage, and changes in marriage and childbearing concepts will still impact whether the number of marriages in China will continue to increase in the future.

Global Times