China recorded 1.697 million marriage registrations in the quarter, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said on Saturday.The figures are the latest sign of China’s deepening demographic challenges.
Also read: China’s April producer inflation at 45-month peak on energy price shock
China’s population fell for a fourth consecutive year in 2025, while its birth rate dropped to a record low, prompting warnings from demographers of further decline.
Couples in China have traditionally had children after marriage, reflecting both cultural norms and administrative rules that have in some cases linked birth registration or access to benefits to a marriage certificate.Authorities have rolled out a range of measures to encourage marriage and childbearing, including family subsidies, childcare support and efforts to reduce childbirth-related medical costs.
