Marriages hit lowest level in 40 years

China has reported the lowest number of marriages in nearly 40 years, as younger generations are delaying tying the knot or are choosing to stay single.

The number of first-time marriage registrations fell last year to 11.6 million, about 708,000 fewer than in 2021, according to official statistics.

Financial pressures, social changes and the Covid-19 pandemic contributed to the figure dipping below 12 million for the first time in 37 years, analysts said. China recorded the most first-time marriage registrations in 2013, with 23.9 million.

The government has appealed to young people to start families and boost China’s dwindling birth rate.

Yang Jinrui, deputy director of the population and family department of the national health commission, said people born in the 1990s and 2000s were the main group delaying marriage and childbearing.

‘‘Most of them grew up and worked in the cities. They face competition and pressure in their career, and it’s very common among them to delay marriage and childbirth,’’ Yang said.

According to census data in 2020, the average age of first-time marriage was 28.67 years, compared with 24.89 years in 2010.

Dong Yuzheng, director of the Guangdong Population Development Research Institute, said: ‘‘It’s no longer a must in one’s life to be married, and some of them even think being single has more freedom.’’

Dong also said many younger Chinese people believed they could not bear the financial burden of marriage and raising a family, with the rising cost of living. The pandemic and its ensuing lockdowns had also affected dating among young people.

The decline and delay of marriages in China is part of a global trend. Britain, the United States and Japan have undergone a similar process in recent years. Hong Kong and Taiwan have much higher ages of first marriage than mainland China.

China this year also reported a decline in population for the first time in 60 years.