Key facts
- China recorded 4.65 million marriages from January to the end of September 2026, Ministry of Civil Affairs data showed.
- The marriage count was the lowest in 18 years, local outlet Yicai reported on Friday, November 6, 2026.
- Divorces totaled 2.08 million over the same nine-month period, according to the ministry data.
- China's old-age dependency ratio has surpassed its child dependency ratio, the report said.
- China's population fell for a fourth consecutive year in 2025 as the birth rate hit a record low.
China recorded 4.65 million marriages from January to the end of September 2026, the lowest count in 18 years, according to Ministry of Civil Affairs data published the week of November 6. Local news outlet Yicai reported on Friday, November 6, that the figure was the lowest in 18 years.
The same data showed 2.08 million divorces over the nine-month period. Childbearing in China remains closely tied to marriage, and the marriage figures feed concern about declining births and demographic strain.
Chinese authorities have rolled out measures in recent years to encourage marriage and childbearing, including family subsidies, childcare support and reduced childbirth-related medical costs. They have also pledged to integrate youth development into urban planning, housing, healthcare, education and public services.
Despite those efforts, China is now supporting more elderly people than children, with the old-age dependency ratio surpassing that of children. China's population fell for a fourth consecutive year in 2025 as its birth rate dropped to a record low, prompting demographers to warn of further declines. The number of women in China of reproductive age, defined by the United Nations as 15 to 49, is set to drop by more than two-thirds to under 100 million by the end of the century.