Children ride hoverboards at a kindergarten in Nanjing, capital of East China's Jiangsu Province on April 21, 2023. Photo: VCG

China's top health authority on Thursday advocated people having marriage and childbirth at an appropriate age, called for increased efforts to create a more childbearing-friendly society, in response to the recent changes in the country's demographic development.

Yu Xuejun, deputy head of the National Health Commission (NHC), said at a press conference on Thursday that the new changes occurring in China's demographic development, including low birth rate, an aging population and regional population disparities, are a natural outcome of economic and social development at certain stages, reflecting global demographic transitions and broader trends of modernization.

Yu underscored the importance to optimize birth support policy system and incentive mechanisms, calling for persistent, long-term efforts from all localities to promote sustainable demographic development. 

Yu said the NHC will focus more efforts on advocating marriage and childbirth at appropriate ages, as well as optimal childbearing practices. It will call for shared parenting responsibilities between spouses, aiming to guide young people toward positive perspectives on marriage, childbirth, and family, fostering a new culture of marriage and childbearing. 

According to the latest statistical bulletin on the development of civil affairs in 2023 released by the Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs, a total of 7.68 million couples tied the knot throughout the year of 2023, marking a 12.4 percent increase compared to the previous year. This is the first rise in marriage registrations in nearly one decade, surpassing the 7.64 million marriages recorded in 2021, Chinese media Yicai.com reported.

He Yafu, an independent demographic expert who monitors marriage registration data, attributed the rise in marriage registrations in 2023 to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which led many young people to delay their weddings until 2023. 

He noted that the number of marriage registrations in the first half of 2024 decreased year-on-year, indicating that the post-pandemic compensatory effect has gradually faded. 

He also mentioned another contributing factor: Many young people chose to get married in 2023 with the intention of having children in the auspicious Year of the Dragon in 2024, He told the Global Times on Thursday.

In 2023, 9.02 million babies were born, resulting in a birth rate of 6.39 per thousand people, according to National Bureau of Statistics.