Serious Marriage Avoidance in China... Last Year Recorded 'All-Time Low' of 7.64 Million Couples Married

Only 5.4 Million Couples from January to September This Year, Expected to Decrease Further
Marriage and Childbirth Avoidance Due to COVID-19 and Worsening Economic Conditions

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] Last year, the number of couples who registered their marriage in China was 7.64 million, marking the lowest figure since statistics were first published in 1985.

On the 22nd, Hong Kong's South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported on China's marriage avoidance phenomenon, stating, "One of the causes is the decline in China's marriage-eligible population, but young Chinese are postponing marriage and childbirth due to the dual burdens of economic downturn-related cost pressures and the COVID-19 pandemic."

According to China's Ministry of Civil Affairs, the number of newlywed couples in China in 2021 was 7.64 million, continuing an eight-year consecutive decline and recording the lowest since statistics were first released in 1985. Furthermore, this trend has intensified this year, with only 5.4 million couples marrying from January to September.

The number of young first-time brides and grooms, closely related to the birth rate, also hit a record low of 11.58 million in 2021. This figure is only half of the peak recorded in 2013. Meanwhile, the average age at first marriage rose from 24.89 years in 2010 to 28.67 years in 2020.

Regarding this, SCMP interpreted that rapid urbanization and the expansion of higher education naturally delay especially women's marriages, but macroeconomic conditions such as soaring housing prices and severe employment pressures are also causing many people to give up on marriage.

Professor Zhang Quanbao, a demographer at Xi'an Jiaotong University in China, said, "There is still much room for the average age at first marriage to increase," adding, "China will follow the trajectory of neighboring countries like South Korea and Japan." He further noted, "Although the proportion of unmarried people in the total population is still low compared to many developed countries, the rate of remaining single is quite high among highly educated women with bachelor's degrees or higher."

Last year, a survey conducted by the Central Committee Research Center of the Communist Youth League of China targeting 2,905 unmarried urban youths aged 18 to 26 found that about 44% of female respondents said they had no plans to marry.

Meanwhile, according to the '2022 Social Survey Results' released by Statistics Korea last month, only about 30% of unmarried men and women in South Korea believe that "marriage is necessary." In particular, among women, only 22.1%, or about one in five, answered that "marriage is necessary," showing a more negative attitude toward the necessity of marriage compared to men (36.9%).

The main reason unmarried men and women in Korea do not marry was "lack of marriage funds" (28.7%). This was followed by "unstable employment status" (14.6%), "not feeling the need to marry" (13.6%), and "burden of childbirth and child-rearing" (12.8%).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.