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The number of newlyweds rose to 7.68 million last year,
according to data released by the Ministry of Civil Affairs last
week. This was up 845,000 couples from 2022 but still far below
the peak of 13.47 million couples hit in 2013.
The data comes after China's Premier Li Qiang pledged in March
that the government would work towards "a birth-friendly society
and promote long term, balanced population development", as well
as reducing the cost of childbirth, parenting and education.
Policymakers are grappling with how to reverse a declining
population, where the birthrate is falling and society ageing
rapidly. Roughly 300 million Chinese are expected to enter
retirement in the coming decade - the equivalent of almost the
entire U.S. population.
China's population fell for a second consecutive year in 2023,
as the record low birth rate and deaths due to COVID-19
accelerated a downturn that officials fear will have profound
long-term effects on the economy's growth potential.
Marriage rates are closely tied to birth rates, giving some
cheer to policymakers, as an uptick in marriages could yield
more babies and soften the population decline in 2024.
More babies are being born in hospitals across China in the Year
of the Dragon, which began on Feb. 10, financial news outlet
Yicai recently reported , with the Dragon Chinese zodiac sign
believed to be particularly auspicious.
Many young people, however, are opting to stay single or put off
getting married due to poor job prospects, record youth
unemployment and chronically low consumer confidence as growth
in the world's second largest economy slows.
(Reporting by Farah Master and the Beijing newsroom; editing by
Miral Fahmy)
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