Staying single not good for demographics

The challenges and potential business opportunities China's nearly 200 million "single population" has given rise to have been making headlines for some time now. Single population refers to the group of people who are not married despite reaching the legal marriageable age, and those that are divorced or widowed.

According to China's population and employment statistical yearbook 2015, the total single population aged above 20 - people who are unable to get married as well as those that choose to remain single - was about 140 million in 2014. According to a survey in 2015 more than 58 million people in China live alone while the number of young people (between 20 and 39) living alone is 20 million.

The rising single population has something to do with the unbalanced gender ratio in China, especially among people of marriageable age. China's population and employment statistical yearbook 2014 said that of the total single population, males accounted for 69.1 percent in the 35-to-39 age group, and the male-female gender ratio in the 20-to-24 age group was 130:100. Besides, the shortage of marriageable age women has made it difficult for men to find a spouse, especially in poverty-stricken rural areas.