The number of marriages in China has hit a nearly 40-year low. The newly revised 'Marriage Registration Ordinance' took effect on the 10th, allowing marriage registration to be handled nationwide. Obtaining a marriage certificate no longer requires providing a household register, meaning young people do not need to obtain the consent of their 'household head' parents to get married, making elopement easier.
To avoid bigamy, China previously had strict rules requiring couples to return to their registered residence to obtain the household register, then go to the local civil affairs bureau to get their marriage certificate, and then return to their place of work. This process took at least two days, and since civil affairs bureaus are closed on weekends, getting a certificate often required taking time off work, causing several inconveniences.
According to Chinese media outlet New Weekly, after marriage registration became available nationwide on the 10th, the first batch of young people to obtain marriage certificates without a household register shared the new process on social media. Not only has obtaining a certificate become easier, but now it is also possible to bypass the step of getting the household register from parents, making elopement easier.
Currently, there is another unfavorable factor for marriage in China: the legal marriage age is relatively high, with men needing to be at least 22 years old and women 20. During the National 'Two Sessions' in March this year, a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference proposed lowering the legal marriage age to 18.
The report said if the age is really lowered to this level, teachers trying to crack down on early romance in high school could be left with 'no legal basis' when dealing with 18-year-old seniors.
According to statistics from the Ministry of Civil Affairs of China, the number of marriage registrations in 2024 is 6.106 million couples, hitting a nearly 40-year low, which is a decrease of 1.574 million couples compared to 2023.