<p>Marriages in China reached a historic low in 2022, amid its&nbsp;declining birth rate and population.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mca.gov.cn/mzsj/xzqh/2022/202204tjsj.htm">The Ministry of Civil Affairs of China</a> reported that 6.8 million couples registered marriages in 2022, a 10.5 per cent&nbsp;decrease from 2021 when 7.63 million marriages were registered. This&nbsp;is the lowest figure since 1986,&nbsp;when the Chinese government started documenting these statistics.&nbsp;</p>

<p>As authorities struggle to deal with these demographic changes, fewer couples are getting married. This decline can be attributed to&nbsp;the Covid pandemic restrictions that kept tens of millions confined to their homes or compounds for weeks last year, but that isn't the sole reason.</p>

<p>"Covid restrictions are not the main cause of decline in marriage rates or birth rates. In fact, this is a phenomenon&nbsp;evolving in China prior to the Covid pandemic,&nbsp;as the working age population in China started to decline way back in 2012,&nbsp;and by 2017 there was a phenomenon of 'labour shortage' in China," <strong>Dr Geeta Kochhar</strong>, Assistant Professor, Centre for Chinese and South&nbsp;Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University&nbsp;told WION.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Covid made the matter worse. Numerous additional factors were at play, including the empowerment of women, increasing cost-of-living, changes in the state welfare system, the nature of social relations altering, the high cost of raising children, and the high prevalence of urban unemployment. All of these elements have progressively changed the Chinese culture and the way that people see the institution of marriage and raising children, she adds.&nbsp;</p>

<p>For the first time in 60 years, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/dont-meddle-in-taiwan-issue-chinese-foreign-minister-qin-tells-us-antony-blinken-604232">China's</a> population dwindled, prompting predictions that the nation would age before becoming rich.</p>

<p>It was in&nbsp;the year 1961, during Mao Zedong's era that China's&nbsp;population decreased year to year.&nbsp;Millions of people&nbsp;died as a result of his failed economic policies known as the Great Leap Forward, however this forced slowdown in population growth only lasted a short period.</p>

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<p>However, many analysts predict that the current decline in birth rates, which was exacerbated by the one-child policy, a state-led initiative to reduce population between 1980 and 2016, will be long-lasting and&nbsp;probably have irreversible ramifications.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"There is no denial that the one-child policy that began in the 1980s and&nbsp;continued for more than two decades has led to a complete chaos in social order and the structure of the Chinese society. It has in ways wiped out a whole generation of Chinese population, who could have formed the active young labour force," explains Kochhar.&nbsp;</p>

<p>She also argues that the context and timing of when this regulation was implemented had its own rationale and need.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"The <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/the-great-wall-of-doubt-chinas-equity-market-battles-for-confidence-604366">Chinese economy</a> during the early 1980s was unable to bear the burden of rising population, but the mistakes were to impose forced sterilisation and strict fines. A moderate adjustment would have gone a long way for China to avert the present economic challenges.&nbsp;The Chinese state went way too far," she adds.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>China and Japan ageing the same way?</strong></h2>

<p>China joined a group of significant Asian economies dealing with the same tendency as its population plummeted last year. The nations that are ageing most quickly globally are Japan and South Korea, with South Korea having the lowest fertility rate.</p>

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<p><em><strong>Note: This is an interactive chart. Please hover over the screen to get the figures.&nbsp;</strong></em></p>

<p>In the most fortunate nations, ageing occurs when the nation is still reasonably rich, allowing many of its senior citizens to live comfortably in retirement. For instance, Japan's median income peaked in the late 1980s, at a time when its "bubble economy" was coming to an end, well before the population started to plateau.&nbsp;China, however, faces this&nbsp;population issue in a totally different economic setting.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"China is in the process of transitioning from a labour-intensive economy&nbsp;to a technology driven economy," says Kochhar.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"We need to see if China is able to make the transition to a high-tech&nbsp;economy rapidly or not? This will reduce the burden on the economy&nbsp;as it won't&nbsp;be dependent on the labour force alone.&nbsp;However, the burden on the social welfare system of China will multiply,&nbsp;which is already&nbsp;market&nbsp;driven and dependent on public participation. Yet, considering the nature of the Chinese state, it won't be surprising&nbsp;in case the government chooses&nbsp;excessive pressure to&nbsp;force&nbsp;women to produce more children.&nbsp;Actions&nbsp;and&nbsp;policy changes will all depend on the pragmatic changes in China and on the domestic researchers' output for the adjustments needed to boost the Chinese economy," she summed up.</p>

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Marriages in China reached a historic low in 2022, amid its declining birth rate and population. The Ministry of Civil Affairs of China reported that 6.8 million couples registered marriages in 2022, a 10.

Marriages in China reached a historic low in 2022, amid its declining birth rate and population. The Ministry of Civil Affairs of China reported that 6.8 million couples registered marriages in 2022, a 10.5 per cent decrease from 2021 when 7.63 million marriages were registered. This is the lowest figure since 1986, when the Chinese government started documenting these statistics. As authorities struggle to deal with these demographic changes, fewer couples are getting married. This decline can be attributed to the Covid pandemic restrictions that kept tens of millions confined to their homes or compounds for weeks last year, but that isn't the sole reason. "Covid restrictions are not the main cause of decline in marriage rates or birth rates. In fact, this is a phenomenon evolving in China prior to the Covid pandemic, as the working age population in China started to decline way back in 2012, and by 2017 there was a phenomenon of 'labour shortage' in China," Dr Geeta Kochhar, Assistant Professor, Centre for Chinese and South Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University told WION. Covid made the matter worse. Numerous additional factors were at play, including the empowerment of women, increasing cost-of-living, changes in the state welfare system, the nature of social relations altering, the high cost of raising children, and the high prevalence of urban unemployment. All of these elements have progressively changed the Chinese culture and the way that people see the institution of marriage and raising children, she adds. For the first time in 60 years, China's population dwindled, prompting predictions that the nation would age before becoming rich. It was in the year 1961, during Mao Zedong's era that China's population decreased year to year. Millions of people died as a result of his failed economic policies known as the Great Leap Forward, however this forced slowdown in population growth only lasted a short period. × However, many analysts predict that the current decline in birth rates, which was exacerbated by the one-child policy, a state-led initiative to reduce population between 1980 and 2016, will be long-lasting and probably have irreversible ramifications. "There is no denial that the one-child policy that began in the 1980s and continued for more than two decades has led to a complete chaos in social order and the structure of the Chinese society. It has in ways wiped out a whole generation of Chinese population, who could have formed the active young labour force," explains Kochhar. She also argues that the context and timing of when this regulation was implemented had its own rationale and need. "The Chinese economy during the early 1980s was unable to bear the burden of rising population, but the mistakes were to impose forced sterilisation and strict fines. A moderate adjustment would have gone a long way for China to avert the present economic challenges. The Chinese state went way too far," she adds. China and Japan ageing the same way? China joined a group of significant Asian economies dealing with the same tendency as its population plummeted last year. The nations that are ageing most quickly globally are Japan and South Korea, with South Korea having the lowest fertility rate. × Note: This is an interactive chart. Please hover over the screen to get the figures. In the most fortunate nations, ageing occurs when the nation is still reasonably rich, allowing many of its senior citizens to live comfortably in retirement. For instance, Japan's median income peaked in the late 1980s, at a time when its "bubble economy" was coming to an end, well before the population started to plateau. China, however, faces this population issue in a totally different economic setting. "China is in the process of transitioning from a labour-intensive economy to a technology driven economy," says Kochhar. "We need to see if China is able to make the transition to a high-tech economy rapidly or not? This will reduce the burden on the economy as it won't be dependent on the labour force alone. However, the burden on the social welfare system of China will multiply, which is already market driven and dependent on public participation. Yet, considering the nature of the Chinese state, it won't be surprising in case the government chooses excessive pressure to force women to produce more children. Actions and policy changes will all depend on the pragmatic changes in China and on the domestic researchers' output for the adjustments needed to boost the Chinese economy," she summed up. WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Data Lab | Chinese neither marrying nor having kids and it's Xi Jinping's new headache. Here's how

<p>Marriages in China have dropped to a historic low as the East Asian country is dealing with a declining birth rate and a falling population. According to the Ministry of Civil Affairs on Sunday (June 11), just 6.83 million couples completed their marriage registrations in 2022, down about 800,000 from the previous year. The number of marriages last year was nearly half the peak of 13.47 million in 2013, news outlet Yicai Global tweeted early Monday.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The drop in couples tieing the knot, which follows Covid restrictions keeping tens of millions locked in their homes or compounds for weeks last year, comes as authorities deal with a declining birth rate and a falling population, the news agency Reuters reported.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>What is the reason for declining marriages?</strong></h2>

<p>A report by CNN last year cited two reasons for the declining marriages in China- the first reason is decades of policies designed to limit population growth, which meant there were fewer young people of marriageable age, and the second reason is&nbsp;the changing attitudes to marriage, especially among young women who are becoming more educated and financially independent.</p>

<p>Last month, the Chinese government said it would <strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-to-launch-projects-in-20-more-cities-to-build-new-era-marriage-culture-report-592501">launch pilot projects in over 20 cities </a></strong>to build a new-era marriage and childbearing culture to vigorously create a child-bearing-friendly social environment.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The projects would focus on tasks including prompting marrying and having children at an appropriate age, encouraging parents to share child-rearing responsibilities, and curbing high prices and other outdated customs, as per a report by the Global Times on May 14.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Watch | Chinese city launches state-sponsored dating app</strong></p>

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<p>Some provinces are also giving young newlyweds an extension of paid marriage leave.</p>

<p>Last year, China's population fell for the first time in six decades, a drop that is expected to mark the start of a long period of decline in its citizen numbers with implications for its economy. Reuters reported the country's birth rate fell last year to 6.77 births per 1,000 people, the lowest on record, from 7.52 in 2021.</p>

<p>Demographers warned China would get old before it gets rich, as its workforce shrank and indebted local governments spent more on their elderly population.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>

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Marriages in China have dropped to a historic low as the East Asian country is dealing with a declining birth rate and a falling population. According to the Ministry of Civil Affairs on Sunday (June 11), just 6.

Marriages in China have dropped to a historic low as the East Asian country is dealing with a declining birth rate and a falling population. According to the Ministry of Civil Affairs on Sunday (June 11), just 6.83 million couples completed their marriage registrations in 2022, down about 800,000 from the previous year. The number of marriages last year was nearly half the peak of 13.47 million in 2013, news outlet Yicai Global tweeted early Monday. The drop in couples tieing the knot, which follows Covid restrictions keeping tens of millions locked in their homes or compounds for weeks last year, comes as authorities deal with a declining birth rate and a falling population, the news agency Reuters reported. What is the reason for declining marriages? A report by CNN last year cited two reasons for the declining marriages in China- the first reason is decades of policies designed to limit population growth, which meant there were fewer young people of marriageable age, and the second reason is the changing attitudes to marriage, especially among young women who are becoming more educated and financially independent. Last month, the Chinese government said it would launch pilot projects in over 20 cities to build a new-era marriage and childbearing culture to vigorously create a child-bearing-friendly social environment. The projects would focus on tasks including prompting marrying and having children at an appropriate age, encouraging parents to share child-rearing responsibilities, and curbing high prices and other outdated customs, as per a report by the Global Times on May 14. Watch | Chinese city launches state-sponsored dating app × Some provinces are also giving young newlyweds an extension of paid marriage leave. Last year, China's population fell for the first time in six decades, a drop that is expected to mark the start of a long period of decline in its citizen numbers with implications for its economy. Reuters reported the country's birth rate fell last year to 6.77 births per 1,000 people, the lowest on record, from 7.52 in 2021. Demographers warned China would get old before it gets rich, as its workforce shrank and indebted local governments spent more on their elderly population. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

China: Marriages drop to historic low as nation deals with declining birth rate

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Data Lab | Chinese neither marrying nor having kids and it's Xi Jinping's new headache. Here's how

China: Marriages drop to historic low as nation deals with declining birth rate