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View all search resultsGen Z’s marital shift
As Gen Z trades traditional wedding bells for financial stability and personal fulfillment, religious affairs offices have discovered that it takes more than TikTok trends and free durians to fix a national marriage slump.
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A woman in a wedding gown places her hand onto another hand in this undated photograph. (Shutterstock)
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eligious Affairs Offices (KUA) across the country are adopting increasingly creative tactics to rekindle Gen Z interest in marriage as registration numbers continue to slide nationwide. From offering durians and longans as "wedding gifts" to launching TikTok-friendly campaigns, KUA offices are experimenting with novel ways to appeal to a generation raised in the digital age.
While this "KUA marketing" has generated significant online buzz, the response from netizens has been a mix of amusement and skepticism. Beneath the humor and virality lies a sobering reality: reversing the decline in marriage rates will require far more than free fruit and trending social media clips.
Data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS) illustrate the scale of the challenge: registered marriages among Muslims, the majority group in Indonesia, fell by roughly 30 percent between 2018 and 2024, dropping from 2 million annually to about 1.4 million. While marriages of other faiths are recorded separately by civil registry offices, the downward trajectory reflects a broader global pattern of marital delay.
BPS data further show that the average age at first marriage is steadily rising. For women, it increased from 22 in 2014 to 23 in 2022; for men, the average rose from 25.7 to 26.3 during the same period. Experts argue that the most significant factor behind this trend is the rising cost of living, which has turned family formation into a financially daunting prospect.
Property prices in urban centers like Jakarta have far outpaced income growth over the past decade. Consequently, homeownership, long considered a prerequisite for marriage, has moved beyond the reach of many young adults. Meanwhile, the cost of education has increased by an estimated 5 to 6 percent annually, fueling concerns about the long-term financial burden of raising children.
Compounding these pressures is an increasingly volatile labor market. Growing layoffs across several sectors have intensified job insecurity, resulting in a prolonged transition to financial stability that inevitably complicates plans for marriage.
A cultural sea change is also reshaping how Gen Z views the institution of marriage. For many young people today, marriage is no longer seen as a mandatory milestone marking the arrival of adulthood. Instead, it is increasingly regarded as a personal choice that must enhance individual fulfillment and happiness.
