China’s marriage numbers edge higher in 2025, but demographic worries remain

0 February 13, 2026 02:41

Every weekend, a corner of Shanghai’s People’s Park hosts its famous “marriage market”, where anxious parents pin up posters listing their children’s age, job and income in hopes of finding them a suitable match. Their urgency reflects a wider national concern. Official figures show China recorded 6.76 million marriages in 2025, a 10 per cent rebound from 2024’s record low. But the longer-term trend remains downward, with registrations still nearly half the 12.25 million recorded in 2015. Births have also fallen to an all-time low of 7.92 million, adding to the strain of a rapidly ageing population. CNA’s Krystal Chia reports.

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