China saw a rise in marriage registrations in 2025, with 6.76 million couples tying the knot. This is a 10.8% increase, or 657,000 more than in 2024, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Marriage numbers are closely watched as they often predict birth trends, since extramarital births are still rare in many areas of China. The increase in marriages offers a hopeful sign for birth rates in 2026. However, experts warn that problems caused by China’s shrinking and aging population are still strong and hard to fix without bigger policies. China's total population dropped by 3.39 million in 2025, reaching 1.4049 billion from 1.4083 billion a year earlier. This was the steepest yearly population fall since the famine from 1959 to 1961. The smaller workforce and aging citizens create challenges for China’s economy. It risks weaker productivity, rising pension and healthcare costs, and slower growth in domestic demand. These demographic headwinds remain deep despite the rise in marriages.