Is China undergoing a demographic crisis as workforce continues to shrink ?

Marriage rates in China hit an all time low in 2024, despite the government's efforts to encourage youth to get married and have children, CNN reported.
According to data from the ministry of civil affairs, merely 6.1 million couples registered their marriages last year, marking a 20.5 per cent drop from 2023. This is the lowest figure recorded since tracking began in 1986. Marriage rates peaked in 2013 at 13 million.
The latest data, released on Saturday, also showed a slight rise in divorces. In 2024, around 2.6 million couples filed for divorce, an increase of 28,000 compared to the previous year. This comes despite a 30-day "cooling-off" period for divorcing couples, introduced in 2021, which has faced much backlash for making it harder for women to leave unhappy or abusive marriages.
While there was a slight uptick in China’s birth rate last year, the country’s population has been shrinking for three consecutive years. The working-age population, those between 16 and 59, fell by 6.83 million in 2024, while the number of people aged 60 and above continued to rise, now accounting for 22 per cent of the total population.
Officials have linked the marriage rate decline directly to falling birth rates.
Government initiatives to boost marriage and birth rates
Chinese social norms and government regulations make it difficult for unmarried couples to have children, further complicating efforts to address the demographic crisis.
In response, the government has rolled out several policies to encourage marriage and childbirth, including financial incentives, awareness campaigns, mass weddings, and blind dating events. Some local governments have even introduced cash rewards for young couples who marry. Additionally, authorities have been working to curb the costly “bride price” tradition, which has made marriage financially out of reach for many men, particularly in rural areas.
Since 2022, China’s family planning association has been pushing for a "new-era marriage and childbearing culture," enrolling dozens of cities in campaigns to promote the “social value of childbearing” and urging young people to marry and start families at an "appropriate age."
However, these measures have so far failed to convince many young adults, who continue to struggle with rising living costs, high unemployment, and inadequate social welfare support amid China’s economic slowdown.
At present, China is combating a serious threat as its working population continues to shrink, putting more and more pressure on the Asian giant’s economy.
Major factors behind the demographic crisis, straining the economy are decline in marriage and birth rates and rising divorce numbers, accompanied with an ageing population.