China recorded 1.697 million marriage registrations in the first quarter this year, the lowest figure for any opening quarter since modern records began in 2013, according to data released on May 9 by the Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs.
The number fell 6.24 percent, down from 1.81 million in the same period last year. A decade ago, in the first quarter of 2016, 3.45 million couples registered their marriages. The first quarter, which includes the Chinese New Year and traditional peak wedding season, has historically been the strongest registration period of the year.
A Decade of Declining Marriages
China’s marriage numbers have been falling for most of the past 13 years, according to data compiled by the National Bureau of Statistics of China. Registrations peaked at 13.47 million couples in 2013, then declined almost without interruption, reaching 6.83 million in 2022. They bounced back to 7.68 million in 2023 before dropping sharply to 6.106 million in 2024—a 20.5 percent decline in a single year. Full-year 2025 reported a modest uptick to 6.76 million.
