China wants to make it easier to get married, and harder to divorce

Policymakers grappling with a shrinking and rapidly ageing population are trying to encourage young people to marry and have children

Reading Time:3 minutes

Newly-weds at a group ceremony in Urumqi, Xinjiang this month. The government is trying to encourage young people to get married. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 4:00pm, 25 Aug 2024Updated: 7:24pm, 6 Sep 2024

China is seeking to make it easier to get married and harder to get divorced, as more young people are choosing to stay single while the government tries to reverse a declining birth rate.

The civil affairs ministry released a draft amendment to the Regulation on Marriage Registration this month, calling it an important change to “build happy and harmonious families”. It is open for public feedback until September 11.

China wants to make it easier to marry, harder to divorce amid shrinking and ageing population

It comes as China – its population shrinking and rapidly ageing – is facing a demographic crisis and policymakers are struggling to encourage young people to get married and have children.

According to official data, some 3.43 million people registered for marriage in the first six months of 2024 – down 12 per cent from a year ago and the lowest number in a decade.

The birth rate meanwhile plunged to a record low of 9.02 million births in 2023, the National Bureau of Statistics said.

Under the revised regulation, couples can get married using just their ID cards anywhere in the country. Previously, they also needed their official household registration, or hukou, and could only marry in the places where they were registered.