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She said no: marriages in China plummet to record low

Summary

China's marriage rate hit a record low in 2024, with only 6.1 million marriages, a 20% drop from 2023 and the lowest since records began in 1986.

Rising costs, youth unemployment, changing gender roles, and a growing preference for single life contribute to the trend. Government incentives to boost marriage and birth rates have largely failed.

Social attitudes are shifting, with less family pressure to marry, skepticism over restrictive divorce laws, and calls for same-sex marriage recognition.

Experts warn this decline could accelerate China’s demographic and economic challenges.

51 comments
  • I had a Chinese colleague who was in a "relationship" with her idol and thought it was way more convenient than a real partner. I am fully ready to see people be openly happy with AI partners and never try to have real partners.
    Especially because it's hard to have a social life when you're asked to work 9am to 9pm, 6 days a week, or worse. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/996_working_hour_system

  • Births are tightly linked to marriage in China, with childbearing out of wedlock discouraged by traditional values and various government regulations.

    “Various government regulations”? Damn, dude. Like what? Maybe easing up on those regulations would help the birth rate a bit.

  • Well yeah, who wants to put a Chinese kid through what their parents have to live through?

51 comments