China’s marriage rate in 2018 sunk to a level not seen since 2013, according to multiple domestic media reports on Tuesday.

Last year’s national average marriage rate reached just 0.72 percent, markedly lower than the 2013 rate of 0.99 percent. Meanwhile, the local figures in more economically developed areas of the country turned out to be even lower in 2018, with the marriage rates for Zhejiang province and Shanghai municipality reaching only 0.59 and 0.44 percent, respectively. Tuesday’s reports pointed to marrying at a later age and the increased cost of living as reasons for the fall.

Following the news, a hashtag translating to “record-low marriage rate in 2018” went viral on Chinese microblogging platform Weibo, receiving 430 million views by Wednesday afternoon. (Image: VCG)