I Do, But Not Yet: Young Chinese Delay Tying the Knot

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China’s marriage rate has continued to fall, with experts citing rising wedding costs and changing attitudes toward family values. After a slight rebound in 2023, marriage registrations in China returned to a downward trend last year, with just 6.11 million couples tying the knot, a year-on-year decrease of more than 20%, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Observers and officials suggest the decline, which began in 2013, is largely due to changes in the country’s demographics and in younger people’s attitudes toward starting a family. China’s shrinking population of 20- to 40-year-olds — the age range in which most marriages occur — is one key factor. The China Statistical Yearbook shows that this age group totaled 371 million in 2023, down from 435 million a decade earlier, when marriage registrations hit their highest level. However, Li Ting, a professor at the Population Development Studies Center of Renmin University of China, says that a more significant drive ………………………………