China Q1 marriages fall to 1.697 million; divorces edge down

A total of 1.697 million couples tied the knot from January to March, down from 1.81 million in the same period of 2025, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

Divorces edged down to 622,000 from 630,000.

The data comes roughly a year after China introduced revised marriage rules as part of pro-marriage reforms. Since May 10, 2025, couples no longer need to show their household registration booklet and can marry anywhere in the country, ending the decades-old restriction that required couples to return to their hometowns to register their marriage.

Over the past year, authorities processed more than 682,000 such interprovincial marriages.

In 2025, marriage registrations surged to 6.763 million, a 10.76 percent year-on-year increase. China recorded 2.743 million divorce registrations the same year, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.