China's Marriage Rate Lowest In 12 Years, Expected To Get Worse

Reasons for the decline in marriage registrations include more males in the marriageable population, the high cost of marriage and changing attitudes.

The number of marriages in China is closely tied to the number of births, and the decline is likely to upset policymakers trying hard to boost the population which has been shrinking for two consecutive years.

A total of 3.43 million couples tied the knot in the first six months of the year, a drop of 498,000 from the same year-ago period, the data on marriage registrations showed.

Marriage is seen as a prerequisite for having children due to widespread incentives and policies, including a requirement for parents to present a marriage certificate to register their child and receive state benefits.