Wedding crasher

The number of marriages in China
dropped to 6.1 million in 2024, a record-
breaking fall of 20.5% from the previous
year – compounding the country’s plight
with a declining population

NUMBER OF REGISTERED
WEDDINGS IN CHINA
(quarterly, 1,000s)

2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024

1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
3,000

ANNUAL
TOTALS
9.26m
8.13m
7.63m
6.83m
7.68m
6.10m

Q1, 2019:
2.82m

Q4, 2024:
1.35m

COVID-19
SLUMP

ARTIFICIAL
INCREASE*

DOWN
20.5%

UP
12.4%

DOWN
10.5%

DOWN
6.2%

DOWN
12.2%

Social factors to blame: Declining population of young adults, darkening economic outlook for recent graduates, changing attitudes towards marriage, and escalating gender polarisation between men and women

*Many couples accelerate marriage plans into 2023 to ensure their child will be born in 2024 – Year
of the Dragon, and lucky for childbirth in Chinese culture. Picture: Karolina Grabowska (Unsplash)
Sources: Reuters, Council on Foreign Relations, China Daily, Statista
© GRAPHIC NEWS