Marriage registrations surge in Shanghai following nationwide policy change

Shanghai recorded more than 175,000 marriage and divorce registrations, including more than 125,000 couples for marriage, last year, the Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau said on Monday.

The number of couples registering for marriage in Shanghai saw a significant increase from around 90,000 in the previous year. This surge is largely attributed to the implementation of the nationwide marriage registration service in May, which allowed couples to register for marriage and divorce anywhere in the country regardless of their place of permanent household registration.

Under this new policy, Shanghai processed a total of more than 41,300 registrations, with more than 34,000 being marriage registrations.

Additionally, official data from the bureau showed that the average age for people marrying for the first time in 2025 was 29.7 years, with men averaging 30.3 years and women 29.1 years. Such figures have remained relatively stable over the past five years.