Photo: CFP

 
Some 7.68 million couples registered marriage in China in 2023, increasing 845,000 couples or 12.4 percent from the previous year, according to data released by China's Ministry of Civil Affairs on Friday. 

That is the first rebound in recent years as the number of marriages nationwide has been declining for several consecutive years since reaching a peak of 13.469 million couples in 2013. 

Registrations for divorce fell 286,000 to 2.88 million, down 9.9 percent from number of 2022. 

In the first three quarters of 2023, the number of marriage registrations nationwide increased by 245,000 couples compared to the same period in 2022, while the number of divorce registrations increased by 330,000 couples year-on-year. This implies that in the fourth quarter of 2023, the number of marriage registrations nationwide increased by 600,000 couples year-on-year, while the number of divorce registrations decreased by 616,000 couples year-on-year.

The continuous decline in marriages can be dated back to the drop of population in late 1980s and early 90s, leading to a smaller population of those at the right age to marry. 

The rebound in 2023 has been attributed to the country's economic recovery and "back-on-track"  everyday life in the post-epidemic period. The postponed demand for marriage during the epidemic has now been caught up on, and the implementation of a series of policies encouraging marriage and childbirth in recent years has taken effect, observers said. 

They believe the increase in the number of marriages in 2023, combined with the impact of the auspicious Year of the Dragon in the Chinese zodiac, is expected to bring an increase in the birth population in 2024.

Over the long run, 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 impact the overall number of marriages and number of newborns in China.

Global Times