The number of marriage registrations in many places in 2023 has shown a significant increase, marking the first rebound in recent years in China, media reported on Sunday.
According to the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Civil Affairs, 453,852 couples registered for marriage in East China’s Jiangsu Province in 2023. The number of marriage registrations has been declining year by year from 2019 to 2022 but has rebounded in 2023, with a growth rate of approximately 10.08 percent compared to 2022.
The data reveals that the average age of marriage registration in Jiangsu in 2023 is 31.39 years old, with an average age of 32.02 years for men and 30.75 years for women.
In Liuyang city, Central China’s Hunan Province, 5,443 couples registered for marriage in 2023, marking the first increase since 2015, with an additional 458 couples compared to 2022.
Zhang Jian, director of the local civil affairs bureau’s wedding registration center, mentioned that Liuyang’s birth rate has been declining for nearly 30 years, impacting the number of eligible marriage candidates. However, policies encouraging marriage and childbirth, along with economic recovery post-epidemic, have contributed to the surge in marriage registrations.
Dong Yuzheng, a population expert, noted that the increase in marriages in 2023, possibly influenced by the Year of the Dragon, is predicted to lead to a rise in the birth population in 2024. Nonetheless, changing marriage and childbearing concepts among young people may affect future marriage trends in China.
