Beijing’s efforts to boost marriages (and births) still falling flat

With China’s demographic crisis deepening, local authorities are ramping up subsidies and even sending mass text messages to promote marriage and family planning among young people. Yet results remain poor: in the first three months of 2025, marriages dropped by a further 8%. Rather than turning to government-backed dating apps and websites, young single Chinese prefer using video chats to find a potential partner.

Milan (AsiaNews/Agencies) – China’s severe demographic crisis is now well known. What has emerged more recently, however, are the increasingly desperate attempts by the government to reverse the trend.

According to data released by the Ministry of Civil Affairs, 1.81 million marriages were registered in the first quarter of 2025 – 159,000 fewer than in the same period last year. While marriages are down 8%, divorces have increased by 10%.

Among the recent measures to address this emergency is a revision of the marriage registration ordinance, aimed at reducing bureaucratic formalities and providing more flexibility in choosing where to register a marriage – even outside one’s official place of residence.

Additionally, some local governments have begun offering financial incentives of up to 40,000 yuan (about £4,400) to young couples who choose to marry, as well as child-rearing subsidies to boost birth rates.

For instance, the government of Hohhot, capital of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, has promised future mothers 10,000 yuan (about £1,200) for their first child, 50,000 yuan (around £6,000) over five years for a second child, and 100,000 yuan (over £12,000) over ten years for a third – the latter being roughly double the city’s average annual salary.

Despite this, The Economist reported that the initiative has met with little enthusiasm locally: just seven or eight subsidy applications were received in the first month. Local families feel the promised amounts fall short of covering the true costs of raising a child, especially in China’s highly competitive social environment.

Liu, a 35-year-old employee at a baby goods store, admits she would like a second child but knows neither her salary nor the government subsidies would be enough. “The new law might sway those on the fence about having children, but people like me won’t consider it,” she says.

Wu, a 29-year-old civil servant expecting her first child, shares the sentiment: even though the 10,000 yuan promised by authorities might help with her mortgage or car loan, the “50,000 yuan wouldn’t cover the cost of a second child.”

According to the YuWa Population Research Institute, a Beijing-based think tank, raising a child to adulthood costs wealthy families around 1.3 million yuan (approximately £160,000), while for low-income families the figure is about 130,000 yuan (£16,000).

Wang Feng of the University of California, Irvine, therefore believes that Hohhot’s policy “won’t make a dent” in the city’s demographic decline. “You can’t buy children,” he explains. “The cost is lifelong, and it’s not just financial.”

The Chinese government’s obsession with birth rates has even led some areas to instruct family doctors to contact women aged 14 to 49 via WeChat, asking questions like: “Has your period been regular lately? When was your last menstruation? Please reply via SMS. Thank you.”

Some women reported on Chinese social media that they received phone calls last autumn from local authorities asking: “Are you pregnant? Are you planning to be? Do you have a boyfriend?”

In addition to pro-marriage and pro-birth policies, the government is also trying to make divorce more difficult. However, according to behavioural economist Jia Yongmin, increasing barriers to separation has only discouraged people from marrying in the first place.

Despite well-publicised efforts by local authorities to help people find a partner – including matchmaking agencies, large-scale speed dating events, and the creation of apps – young Chinese singles seem more drawn to alternative methods.

The latest trend in matchmaking is livestreamed video chats: virtual spaces where small groups introduce themselves and interact under the guidance of a “cyber matchmaker”. It’s a practical option, given that over 30% of young single Chinese say they simply don’t have time to socialise or make friends in real life due to their heavy work commitments.