China丨Couples tying knot fell to record low last year

China had 6.8 million couples register for marriage last year, the lowest since 1986, further raising concerns about the nation's low birth rate.2022年，中国有680万对夫妇登记结婚，这是1986年以来的历史新低，这进一步引发了人们对中国低出生率的担忧。According to the latest statistics released by the Ministry of Civil Affairs, there were 800,000 fewer marriages last year than in 2021.据民政部公布的最新统计数据，去年结婚人数比2021年减少了80万。It is the ninth year that the number of marriages in China has declined since peaking at 13.47 million in 2013.自2013年达到了1347万的峰值以来，2022年已经是中国结婚人数连续第九年下降。In 2021, the number of marriages in China fell to 7.64 million. In 2020, it was 8.14 million, and in 2019 it was 9.27 million.2021年，中国结婚人数降至764万。2020年中国结婚人数是814万，2019年中国结婚人数是927万。The reasons for the decline in the number of marriages include delaying marriage and childbearing, a decreasing number of marriageable people, changing attitudes and increasing social pressure, said Jiang Yongping, a researcher with the Women's Studies Institute of China.全国妇联妇女研究所研究员蒋永萍说，结婚人数下降的原因包括晚婚晚育、适婚人数减少、观念转变和社会压力增加等。"No matter for a man or woman, it is generally seen as okay to delay the age of marriage. Even in rural areas, where women tended to get married at an earlier age, we've seen the trend for the delay in the age of marriage, which reflects the whole picture of delaying the age of marriage," she said.蒋永萍说：“不管是男人还是女人，普遍认为推迟结婚年龄是没有问题的。即使是在女性早婚的农村地区，我们也看到了推迟结婚年龄的趋势，这反映了推迟结婚年龄的全貌。”Jiang also noted that the rising cost of marriage, such as the cost for the wedding and house prices, also caused a decline in the number of marriages or the delay of marriages.蒋永萍还指出，结婚成本的上升，如婚礼成本和房价，也导致结婚数量下降或结婚延迟。In the past, many people paid less attention to material conditions, such as housing and cars. But now when the discussion comes to marriage, "mothers-in-law" usually require the prospective groom to buy a house, putting huge pressure on them, Jiang said.蒋永萍说，在过去，很多人不太关注物质条件，比如住房和汽车。但现在谈婚论嫁时，“婆婆”通常会要求准新郎买房，给她们带来了巨大的压力。The fall in marriages has drawn attention since in most cases marriage is a prerequisite for having children, she said.她说，结婚率下降引起了人们的关注，因为在大多数情况下，结婚是生育孩子的先决条件。Policies have been rolled out to encourage marriage, discouraging grooms from paying for pricy betrothal gifts to the bride's family and offering affordable housing programs, Jiang said.蒋永萍说，鼓励婚姻的政策已经出台，提供了经济适用房计划，并且不鼓励新郎为新娘的家庭支付昂贵的彩礼。As the younger generation, mostly those born in the 1990s and 2000s, have grown up and worked in urban areas, received longer education and face greater employment competition, it is more likely for them to delay marriage and childbirth, said Yang Jinrui, deputy director of the Population and Family Planning Department of the National Health Commission.国家卫生健康委人口家庭司副司长杨金瑞说，随着年轻一代，尤其是90后和00后出生的人，在城市长大、工作、受教育时间更长、就业竞争更激烈，晚婚晚育的可能性更大。Couple英/ˈkʌp(ə)l/ 美/ˈkʌp(ə)l/n.两个，几个；一对夫妇Marriage英/ˈmærɪdʒ/ 美/ˈmærɪdʒ/n.结婚