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Chinese provinces report more marriages after decade-long drop, with boost from Year of the Dragon and pandemic backlog

  • Hunan, Shaanxi, Jiangsu, Henan and Anhui provinces show increase in marriage registrations in 2023, though nationwide figures have yet to be released
  • The uptick might be result of weddings delayed by Covid-19 or couples aiming to marry in time to have a ‘dragon’ baby, according to city official

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A couple poses with their marriage certificate during a photo shoot on a snowy day in Beijing, China on December 11. Photo: Reuters
Victoria Bela
A near-decade-long decline in marriages in China might have finally snapped last year, according to data from across the country.

Figures from civil affairs bureaus in Hunan, Shaanxi, Jiangsu, Henan and Anhui provinces showed a year-on-year increase in the number of couples that said “I do” last year, Shanghai-based news outlet The Paper reported on Tuesday.

The increase could be the result of a backlog from the Covid-19 pandemic and prospective couples wanting to give birth during the auspicious Year of the Dragon, the report quoted an official as saying.

China is facing a major demographic transition, with falling birth rates leading to a shrinking population.
The number of marriage registrations has fallen off a cliff since 2013, with the total number of unions going from more than 13 million that year to just 6.83 million in 2022.

But there were signs of a resurgence last year with the Ministry of Civil Affairs saying registrations in the first three quarters of 2023 surpassed the same period in 2022 by 245,000.

The ministry has yet to release a final tally for 2023, but data from cities around China showed a marked increase in total registrations.

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