(Yicai) Nov. 5 -- China’s marriage rate tumbled in the first nine months of this year to the lowest level for a January to September period in 18 years, adding to concerns over the country’s declining birth rate.

A total of 4.65 million couples got married in the nine months ended Sept. 31, and 2.08 million couples got divorced, according to the latest data from the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

The number of marriage registrations was 1.7 million in the first quarter, 1.58 million in the second quarter, and 1.37 million in the third quarter, down 6 percent, 9 percent, and 15 percent respectively from a year earlier. The third-quarter number was the second-lowest for the period on record, and was only higher than the 1.32 million in the third quarter of 2024.

This year’s Government Work Report, the country's main annual policy and economic roadmap, reiterated support for a positive attitude toward marriage and childbirth, and outlined measures such as beefing up housing support for families having their first child, as well as assistance for families with with more than one child to meet their needs for better housing conditions.

Various localities have been taking steps to encourage couples to tie the knot. Recently, a village in Dongguan, Guangdong province held a ceremony to give out subsidies for marriage and childbirth, including a total of CNY140,000 (USD20,990) to families with two or three children, while newlyweds received marriage grants and tourism vouchers. 

Each of the three newlyweds who attended the ceremony received a marriage subsidy of CNY3,888 (USD580) and vouchers for traditional wedding pastries worth the same. Couples who met and got married through the village’s matchmaking festival received additional travel funds.

Measures such as this send a signal that China encourages marriage and childbearing at an appropriate age, and can also help reduce the costs of marriage and childbirth, along with the raising and educating of children, said Jiang Quanbao, a professor in the School of Labor Economics at Capital University of Economics and Business.

Editor: Tom Litting