China’s economy continues to falter, leading to difficulties in employment, loan repayment, and childcare, resulting in more and more young people born in the 1990s and 2000s being reluctant to talk about marriage. According to data released by the Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs, the number of marriage registrations in 2024 was 6.106 million couples, a decrease of 20.5% compared to the previous year.
The Ministry of Civil Affairs of the Chinese Communist Party announced on July 30 that according to the 2024 report on the development of civil affairs, among the 6.106 million couples who registered for marriage, 1.635 million were between 20 and 24 years old, 4.288 million were between 25 and 29, 2.609 million were between 30 and 34, 1.397 million were between 35 and 39, and 2.282 million were 40 years old or older.
According to a report by Sina Finance, the number of marriage registrations in the first quarter of 2025 was only 1.81 million couples, a decrease of 159,000 compared to the same period last year.
A mainland Chinese citizen, Yang Jian (pseudonym), told Epoch Times that young people born in the 1990s in his community generally choose not to get married. “Why should I get married? Isn’t it better to earn money and eat alone?” Now many parents have also come to understand that if their children don’t get married, they don’t have to take care of grandchildren. “Few children of the post-90s generation get married, and even fewer of the post-00s generation.”
Low income, coupled with the burden of housing loans, car loans, and various other debts, along with high childcare costs and difficulties in finding employment, are overwhelming young people. Many young individuals are choosing to delay marriage, forego starting a family, and even refrain from having children to lighten the financial load.
A university student born in 2000, Hong Yu (pseudonym), stated that staying single is good because one can lead a carefree life without economic pressure. “Firstly, without children to annoy me, the probability of falling ill greatly decreases. Secondly, I don’t have to worry about providing a house for marriage. Thirdly, with the money saved from raising a child, I can easily ensure my future retirement. So, what’s the point of having kids?”
In first-tier cities like Guangdong in China, the values and living conditions of young people are also changing. Residents, including Mei Jie, mentioned that many young individuals, including her own children, are choosing to remain single.
She said, “Is this society good? They earn less money and have to rent a place to live. I struggle to survive myself, so how can these young people manage? They have to support a family, pay high rent for housing, everything is expensive. How can you expect them to get married?”
Zhuang Yi, 25, expressed that under the rule of the Chinese Communist Party in mainland China, people have lost hope. He mentioned that the competition is intense, and finding a job is very challenging. Even when people are employed, they are forced to work overtime extensively, and their wages are often delayed. “There is no interest in settling down and starting a family. Even if you want to, you can’t see a way out.”
Feeling helpless, he can only resist this lifestyle by “lying flat,” a term referring to choosing to remain passive and not actively engage with societal pressures. “If I can’t find a job, I just lie flat at home. I have no choice; there are many things I want to do but can’t.”