[China] Provinces extend paid wedding leave as marriage and birth rates decline

In China, twenty-eight of the 34 provincial-level regions have extended statutory paid leave for newlyweds to as much as 30 days to offset declining marriage and birth rates, Yicai Global reports.

Hubei province issued a series of measures to support childbirth on July 14, including lengthening statutory marriage leave to 15 days from three days. It became the 28th region to extend the period of absence from work for married couples.

Marriage registrations fell 8 per cent to 1.8 million in the first quarter from a year prior, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs. 

In 2024, the figure reportedly plummeted 20.5 per cent to 6.1 million, down from a peak of 14.5 million in 2013 and its lowest since record keeping began in 1986.

With up to 30 days off, Shanxi and Gansu are the provinces offering the best leave. Some provinces offer extra holidays to newly married couples who get health checkups beforehand; Henan offers an additional seven days off. 

Professor Jiang Quanbao from the Institute for Population and Development Studies at Xi’an Jiaotong University reportedly stated that such policies are a necessary response to migration patterns among young people. 

Many couples working in China’s big cities come from different hometowns and ordinarily have two wedding ceremonies, the professor added, so they need more time for that. The extended leave also gives them the option of doing some extra travel.

The nation’s marriage rate has been impacted by a number of factors in recent years, including concerns about the cost of living and finding employment. There has also been a decrease in the marriage-age population. 

Source: Yicai Global

In China, twenty-eight of the 34 provincial-level regions have extended statutory paid leave for newlyweds to as much as 30 days to offset declining marriage and birth rates, Yicai Global reports.

Hubei province issued a series of measures to support childbirth on July 14, including lengthening statutory marriage leave to 15 days from three days. It became the 28th region to extend the period of absence from work for married couples.

Marriage registrations fell 8 per cent to 1.8 million in the first quarter from a year prior, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs. 

In 2024, the figure reportedly plummeted 20.5 per cent to 6.1 million, down from a peak of 14.5 million in 2013 and its lowest since record keeping began in 1986.

With up to 30 days off, Shanxi and Gansu are the provinces offering the best leave. Some provinces offer extra holidays to newly married couples who get health checkups beforehand; Henan offers an additional seven days off. 

Professor Jiang Quanbao from the Institute for Population and Development Studies at Xi’an Jiaotong University reportedly stated that such policies are a necessary response to migration patterns among young people. 

Many couples working in China’s big cities come from different hometowns and ordinarily have two wedding ceremonies, the professor added, so they need more time for that. The extended leave also gives them the option of doing some extra travel.

The nation’s marriage rate has been impacted by a number of factors in recent years, including concerns about the cost of living and finding employment. There has also been a decrease in the marriage-age population. 

Source: Yicai Global