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August 6, 2021

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Divorce numbers down in H1

THE number of divorces in the first six months of the year nearly halved after China introduced a 30-day cooling-off period before divorce in last year’s newly adopted Civil Code.

Since the new rule came into effect on January 1, 2021, some 966,000 divorces were granted in the first six months in China, according to the latest statistics released on Tuesday by the Ministry of Civil Affairs. The number was down by around 47 percent compared with the first half of 2019.

The first half of 2020 saw number of divorces drop because civil service operations were stopped for a while at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Professor Dong Yuzheng, a population expert and head of Guangdong Academy of Population Development, believes the decline was due to the cooling-off period before the divorce. It allowed people to calm down and sort out their issues, Dong told news portal Yicai. The cooling-off period ensured rational and comprehensive judgments that helped couples to resolve disputes and withdraw their divorce application, according to Dong.

The Civil Code states that the civil affairs department can only approve a divorce after 30 days if neither of the couple withdraws their application.

On the other hand, the marriageable population was also shrinking, a factor which was also reflected in the downturn in divorces. 

Data shows that the number of marriage registrations in China has been falling. Last year, there were 8.13 million marriage registrations, the lowest since 2003, and only 60 percent of the peak reached in 2013.


 

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