China has witnessed a nearly 10 per cent drop in the number of marriages in the first three quarters of the year, signalling a possible full-year fall in 2026 after a rebound in 2025.
The country recorded 4.648 million marriage registrations in the first nine months, down 504,000 from a year earlier, data released on Wednesday by the Ministry of Civil Affairs showed.
The latest figures mean that 2026 marriage registrations would most likely see a year-on-year drop as well, said He Yafu, an independent demographer based in Guangdong province.