Registrations of married couples in China last year dropped to about 6.11 million, down by 20.5 percent year-on-year, the latest data showed.

The 2024 Statistical Bulletin on the Development of Civil Affairs, released by the Ministry of Civil Affairs on Wednesday, showed that the marriage rate stood at 4.3 per thousand last year, down by 1.1 per thousand points year-on-year, marking the lowest record since 2020.

In addition, 3.51 million couples underwent divorce procedures last year, down from about 3.61 million in 2023. The divorce rate was 2.5 per thousand last year, decreasing from 2.6 per thousand in 2023, the bulletin showed.