China’s dwindling marriage rate is fuelling demand for brides trafficked from abroad

By Ming Gao, Research Scholar of East Asia Studies in History Division, Lund University

China’s marriage rate is in steep decline. There were 6.1 million marriage registrations nationwide in 2024, down from 7.7 million the previous year. This decline has prompted Chen Songxi, a Chinese national political adviser, to propose lowering the legal marriage age from 22 to 18.

The drop in China’s marriage rate has been driven by a combination of factors. These include increased economic pressures, evolving social attitudes towards marriage,…

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