Did You Know? This Asian Country Offers Cash Prizes Up To Rs 2 Lakh For Couples

Asian Country Couples Scheme:  Cities across China have started giving hefty cash incentives worth nearly Rs 2 lakh in an extraordinary move to reverse declining marriage numbers and get young couples to tie the knot.

The initiative comes as the country battles a demographic downturn due to falling marriage registrations, shrinking birth rates, and a rapidly ageing population.

Cash Vouchers For Newlyweds

Ningbo, an eastern city, has rolled out a new policy in which 1,000 yuan, or about Rs 11,800, will be given in consumption vouchers to each newlywed couple. In its official WeChat account, the civil affairs department said it will issue eight vouchers per couple. Those can be used for wedding photography, wedding ceremonies, stays in hotels, shopping, and other marriage-related services. The vouchers are in limited supply and will be given out first-come, first-served basis.

Ningbo is not alone. Cities such as Hangzhou and Pinghu have also begun offering similar benefits, hoping that financial support will encourage young Chinese citizens to settle down sooner.

Some Cities Offer Much Bigger Rewards

While many municipal schemes offer modest vouchers, incentives in certain regions have reached significantly higher amounts. In Luliang, located in northern Shanxi province, couples are rewarded with 1,500 yuan immediately upon registering their marriage, roughly half an average month’s salary for an urban worker.

But the real push comes from the newborn subsidies paired with the marriage reward. Families are eligible for:

• 2,000 yuan for their first child,
• 5,000 yuan for the second,
• 8,000 yuan for third.

Combined with additional support programmes, this brings the total support for marrying and child-raising to upwards of 16,000 yuan, or approximately Rs 2 lakh in total government-backed benefits in certain provinces.

Why China Is Pushing Marriages?

Latest figures from the Ministry of Civil Affairs show that a total of 6.1 million couples married in 2024, down 20.5 percent compared to last year and the lowest since record-keeping started in 1986. The peak was 13.47 million in 2013. The CFR reports that marriage registrations have decreased 55 per cent since 2013, evidence of a deepening demographic crisis.

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Government Push: From Love Classes To Mass Weddings

To offset the decline in the marriage rate, authorities have introduced:
• "love education" programs in universities
• Mass wedding events in public parks and scenic spots.
• Cash rewards, vouchers, and subsidies
• Campaigns to discourage expensive bride-price practices
• Relaxed marriage rules allowing couples to register in any part of the country.

Some cities have even set up marriage venues in shopping malls, subway stations, and music festivals so that the process is both convenient and appealing.

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As China escalates efforts to elevate marriage and birth rates, cash incentives become the center of policies. Whether they will be able to reshape long-term social attitudes remains to be seen, but for now, China is one of the few countries in the world where getting married could literally earn you a cash reward.