According to the Ministry of Civil Affairs' 2024 Statistical Bulletin on the Development of Civil Affairs, China's divorce rate in 2024 was 2.5 per 1,000 people. That year 3.513 million couples divorced (2.622 million at marriage registries and 0.891 million through the courts), while 6.106 million couples registered their marriages. Divorces fell sharply in 2021, when the 30-day cooling-off period for registry divorce took effect, and have partly recovered since.
This article sets out the official figures year by year, explains what the cooling-off period did and did not change, and flags the traps in the way these numbers are often reported. We use only figures published by the Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA) in its annual statistical bulletins (民政事业发展统计公报) and quarterly statistics, as reported at the time of writing.
China divorce and marriage statistics, 2020 to 2025
| Year | Marriage registrations | Total divorces | of which registry divorces | of which court divorces | Divorce rate (per 1,000 people) | Divorces per 100 marriages (same year) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 8.143 m | 4.339 m | 3.736 m | 0.603 m | – | 53 |
| 2021 | 7.643 m | 2.839 m | 2.141 m | 0.698 m | 2.0 | 37 |
| 2022 | 6.835 m | 2.879 m | 2.100 m | 0.779 m | 2.0 | 42 |
| 2023 | 7.682 m | 3.605 m | 2.594 m | 1.012 m | 2.6 | 47 |
| 2024 | 6.106 m | 3.513 m | 2.622 m | 0.891 m | 2.5 | 58 |
| 2025 (quarterly data) | 6.763 m | not yet published | 2.743 m | not yet published | – | – |
Sources: MCA Statistical Bulletins on the Development of Civil Affairs for 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 (the 2020 figures are also consistent with the year-on-year changes reported in the 2021 bulletin); MCA quarterly civil affairs statistics for Q4 2025, released in February 2026. The last column is our own arithmetic from the official figures, rounded; it is not an official statistic. "m" means million couples.
For longer-term context, the MCA said in January 2020 that 4.461 million couples divorced in 2018, against 10.108 million marriage registrations, a divorce rate of 3.2 per 1,000.
What the cooling-off period changed
The PRC Civil Code introduced a 30-day divorce cooling-off period for registry divorces from 1 January 2021 (Article 1077). Either spouse can withdraw during the 30 days, and both must return within the following 30 days to collect the certificate, or the application lapses. We explain the mechanics in our cooling-off period guide.
The effect on the numbers was immediate:
- Registry divorces fell from about 3.74 million in 2020 to 2.14 million in 2021, a drop of roughly 43%.
- Court divorces rose from about 0.60 million to 0.70 million in 2021, and to over 1 million in 2023.
- Total divorces fell by 34.6% in 2021, according to the MCA bulletin.
Some couples withdrew or did not come back within the second 30-day window; some shifted to the courts, which have no cooling-off; and some simply delayed. By 2023 and 2024, total divorces were back above 3.5 million a year, though still below the 2020 level.
The cooling-off period has not changed since 2021. Claims online about a "new divorce law" in 2025 or 2026 that introduced it are wrong; the rules are explained in our China divorce law guide.
Why you should read these numbers carefully
1. The "divorce rate" is not "the share of marriages that end in divorce"
China's official divorce rate is divorces per 1,000 people in the population, the international standard crude rate. In January 2020, the MCA publicly rejected reports of a "44.1% divorce rate", explaining that dividing a year's divorces by the same year's marriages is not scientific. The last column in our table is shown only because people search for it. It does not tell you the chance that a particular marriage will end in divorce.
2. Fewer marriages mean fewer future divorces, and a higher ratio
Marriage registrations fell from over 10 million in 2018 to 6.1 million in 2024, with a rebound in 2023 after the pandemic and again in 2025. Because most divorces come from marriages made years earlier, a fall in new marriages pushes the divorces-to-marriages ratio up even if couples are not divorcing more often.
3. Pandemic disruption
In 2020 to 2022, registries and courts in many cities operated with closures and appointment limits. Some of the 2021 and 2022 drop, and part of the 2023 rebound, probably reflects delayed filings rather than changed behaviour. The official data cannot separate these effects from the cooling-off period.
4. Quarterly data covers registry divorces only
The MCA's quarterly statistics count registry divorces only. Court divorces appear in the annual bulletin. Some media reports in 2026 compared the 2025 quarterly registry figure (2.743 million) with the 2024 total including court divorces (3.513 million) and reported a large fall. That is not a like-for-like comparison: registry divorces actually rose slightly, from 2.622 million in 2024 to 2.743 million in 2025.
5. Divorce rates vary by region
Provincial bulletins show considerable variation between provinces and between cities and rural areas. National averages hide these differences.
What the numbers mean for people considering divorce
Statistics describe populations, not your family. Three practical points follow from them:
- Registry divorce remains the most common route, used by about three-quarters of divorcing couples in 2024, but it needs full agreement and two in-person visits. Good drafting of the divorce agreement is essential.
- Court divorces are a substantial share, around 0.9 to 1 million a year recently. Contested cases often take more than one filing; see what to expect in a contested divorce.
- The cooling-off period adds time but rarely changes the outcome where both spouses have decided. Plan for it; see how long a divorce takes in China.
Key takeaways
- China's official divorce rate was 2.5 per 1,000 people in 2024 (MCA 2024 Statistical Bulletin).
- 3.513 million couples divorced in 2024: 2.622 million at registries and 0.891 million through the courts.
- Total divorces fell 34.6% in 2021, the first year of the cooling-off period, then recovered to over 3.5 million a year in 2023 and 2024.
- Marriage registrations fell to 6.106 million in 2024, then rose to 6.763 million in 2025 (MCA quarterly data).
- Divorces divided by marriages is not an official divorce rate and is easily misread.
Thinking about divorce yourself?
Behind every statistic is a family making a hard decision. If you would like to understand your own options, including whether a registry or court divorce fits your situation, our bilingual divorce lawyers in Shenzhen and Guangzhou are here to help. Book a free, confidential consultation.