Marriages in China dropped by a fifth last year, the biggest drop on record, despite manifold efforts by authorities to encourage young couples to wed and have children to boost the country’s declining population.

More than 6.1 million couples registered for marriage last year, down from 7.68 million a year earlier, figures from the Ministry of Civil Affairs showed.

Declining interest in getting married and starting a family has long been blamed on the high cost of childcare and education in China. On top of that, sputtering economic growth over the past few years has made it difficult for university graduates to find work and those that do have jobs feel insecure about their long-term prospects.

But for Chinese authorities, boosting interest in marriage and baby-making is a pressing concern.

China has the second-biggest population in the world at 1.4 billion but it is aging quickly.

The birth rate fell for decades due to China’s 1980-2015 one-child policy and rapid urbanisation. And in the coming decade, roughly 300 million Chinese - the equivalent of almost the entire US population - are expected to enter retirement.

Measures taken last year by authorities to tackle the problem included urging China’s colleges and universities to provide “love education” to emphasize positive views on marriage, love, fertility and family.

And in November, China’s state council or cabinet, told local governments to direct resources towards fixing China’s population crisis and spread respect for childbearing and marriages “at the right age.”Last year saw a slight rise in births after a lull due to the pandemic and because 2024 was the Chinese zodiac year of the dragon - with children born that year considered likely to be ambitious and have great fortune.

But even with the increase in births, the country’s population fell for a third consecutive year.

The data also showed that more than 2.6 million couples filed for divorce last year, up 1.1% from 2023.