Marriages in China fall to lowest in 18 years, with 4.65 million couples wed in nine months

The marriage rate in China has fallen sharply in the first nine months of this year, dropping to its lowest level in 18 years.

Local media outlet Yicai reported the figures on Friday, citing data released this week by China's Ministry of Civil Affairs.

According to Yicai, a total of 4.65 million couples married in the country between January and September this year.

Over the same period, 2.08 million couples applied for divorce.

Because childbearing in China is deeply linked to marriage, the steep fall has renewed concerns about population decline and the economy.

In recent years Chinese authorities have introduced a series of incentives to raise marriage and childbirth, including family subsidies, childcare support and measures to reduce the medical costs of having children.

Officials have also promised to add youth development programmes in urban planning, housing, healthcare, education and public services to make life easier for young people, children and families.

Despite those efforts, the number of older people in China is now growing faster than the number of children, and the old-age dependency ratio has overtaken that for children.

China's total population fell in 2025 for the fourth consecutive year and the birth rate dropped to its lowest ever level. Demographers have warned that the decline could become more severe in future.

According to United Nations estimates, the number of Chinese women of childbearing age, between 15 and 49, will fall dramatically in the long term — by more than two-thirds to below 100 million by the end of the century.