In China, marriages plummeted by a fifth last year, the biggest drop on record. This occurred despite manifold efforts by authorities to encourage young couples to wed. The figures from the Ministry of Civil Affairs showed that more than 6.1 million couples registered for marriage last year, down from 7.68 million a year earlier.

The data released on Saturday also showed a slight increase in the number of divorces. Last year, nearly 2.6 million couples registered for divorce, an increase of 28,000 from 2023. According to media reports, declining interest in getting married and starting a family has long been blamed on the high cost of childcare and education in the country. It also said that sputtering economic growth over the past few years has made it difficult for university graduates to find work and those who do have jobs feel insecure about their long-term prospects.