Against the backdrop of increasingly deteriorating political and economic conditions, the phenomenon of “empty nest youth” is on the rise in China. The latest official data from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) reveals that in the first half of 2024, there were 3.43 million couples registered for marriage, a decrease of 498,000 compared to the first half of the previous year, marking a 12.7% year-on-year decline and hitting a new low.
The data released by the Ministry of Civil Affairs of the CCP on August 2nd in the “2024 2nd Quarter Civil Affairs Statistics” shows that in the first half of this year, there were 3.43 million couples registered for marriage nationwide. This figure is 498,000 less than the 3.928 million couples registered in the first half of the previous year, representing a 12.7% decrease. Compared to the 1.969 million couples registered in the first quarter, there was a further decrease of 508,000 couples, a quarter-on-quarter reduction of 25.8%.
The statistics released by the Ministry of Civil Affairs last month show that the number of couples registered for marriage in the first quarter of this year was 1.969 million, which was 178,000 less than the 2.147 million in the same period in 2023, representing an 8.3% decrease.
It is worth noting that the number of couples registered for marriage in the first half of this year hit a recent low, breaking the record of 3.732 million couples in the first half of 2022. Although the number had rebounded to 3.928 million in 2023, it has once again declined in 2024.
Historical data from the Ministry of Civil Affairs shows that the number of couples registered for marriage in China has been declining for several years. In 2013, there were a staggering 13.47 million couples registered for marriage in China. However, this number has been decreasing annually, plummeting to 6.835 million couples in 2022, only about half of the 2013 figure. From 2019 to 2023, the number of couples registered for marriage has been consistently below ten million for five consecutive years.
Recently, mainland Chinese lawyer Li expressed to the Epoch Times that the CCP’s economic development model has led to widespread poverty and excessive debt among the general population. Young people cannot afford to bear these burdens; their expectations for family happiness have become exceedingly low. Li mentioned, “With such a poor economy, there is no discussion of quality of life, happiness, or yearning for happiness.” Young people “can barely make ends meet even with a job, let alone dare to dream of supporting a family. Therefore, they do not dare to get married or even think about having children. This is the objective situation facing China.”
“This economic development model deprives young people of their dreams, deprives them of the possibility of pursuing happiness,” Li added.
Jifeng, a leader of the Guizhou student movement in 1989 and an artist, also told the Epoch Times that the CCP government cannot reverse this phenomenon. “Young people are already hopeless, not only lacking hope but have given up hope.”
Regarding the impacts of the continued low marriage rate on China, Jifeng said, “It leads to a decline in population, a cultural rift, and has extensive and profound effects. With no successors in the workforce or talented individuals, the economy will continue to decline.”