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How China’s Singles Are Quietly Reshaping Consumer Spending

Dec 27, 2025 03:00:00 -0500 | #China

People are staying single longer in China—and spending differently. (Qilai Shen/Bloomberg)

Key Points

China’s consumer recovery remains uneven, but one segment is expanding fast enough to redraw spending patterns across retail, travel, food, and services: people who are staying single longer—and spending differently. As marriage ages rise and permanent singlehood increases, a “singles economy” is taking hold, creating unexpected winners across the consumer landscape.

More than 240 million adults in China now live unmarried, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs. The country’s marriage rate has fallen steadily for a decade, and first-marriage ages continue to rise in major cities. While the demographic shift poses long-term challenges, it is producing a powerful short-term effect: consumers who spend for one, not for families.

The change is most visible inside the home. Retailers report a surge in demand for compact appliances designed for small apartments and one-person households. JD.com said sales of mini washing machines rose more than 30% during the 2025 Singles Day period, a pace that far outstripped larger white goods. Manufacturers such as Midea and Joyoung have expanded lines explicitly branded for solo living.

For many younger buyers, practicality is the driving force. “I don’t need a big kitchen or a big fridge. I just want things that fit my life,” said Liu Wen, a 29-year-old product designer in Chengdu who recently bought a 1.2-liter rice cooker and a countertop washing machine. “I’m not planning to get married anytime soon, so I buy what works for one person.”

Analysts say this is no longer a marginal trend. China’s demographic challenges are beginning to reshape consumption, as fewer young people are forming families and household sizes shrink, said Andrew Batson, China research director at Gavekal. The result, he argues, is a structural shift toward spending categories that cater to individuals rather than households.

Dining and food delivery are evolving quickly. Restaurants across Beijing, Chengdu, and Shanghai now offer single booths, one-person hot pot, and compact set meals. Food delivery giant Meituan said in a report that orders for one-person dishes jumped 17% last year, prompting the company to introduce promotional bundles for solo diners who want variety without oversized portions.

Travel patterns are changing just as dramatically. Solo tourism—once a niche—has become one of the fastest-growing categories on platforms such as Trip.com Group. Bookings for single-person hotels and packaged itineraries rose more than 20% year-over-year in 2024. Local tourism boards in Yunnan, Hainan, and Fujian have begun offering discounted “one-person packages” that eliminate the longstanding surcharge for solo travelers.

That shift reflects both economic pressures and cultural change. “Traveling alone used to feel strange, but now it feels like freedom,” said Chen Jiayun, a 33-year-old marketing executive in Shanghai who took three solo trips this year. “I earn my own money and I spend it on myself. I don’t wait around for someone to join me.”

Researchers say the trend is part of a broader move toward individualism among urban professionals, particularly women. The rise of single, white-collar female consumers has boosted sales of boutique fitness memberships, wellness treatments, cosmetics, and personal-care products—categories less vulnerable to the weak property market.

The pet economy is also benefiting. China’s pet sector is projected to reach 500 billion yuan ($71 billion) by 2030, according to consultancy Frost & Sullivan, driven largely by unmarried owners willing to spend on premium food, grooming, and veterinary care. Stocks like Yantai China Pet Foods have outperformed many consumer peers as investors position for longer term growth in pet ownership.

In financial services, insurers and fintech firms are designing policies tailored to unmarried customers who lack spousal safety nets. New products bundle critical illness insurance with income-protection features or long-term savings plans structured around the spending patterns of one-person households.

While the singles economy brings opportunities, it also reflects the underlying pressure on Chinese households. Job insecurity, a stagnating property market, and rising urban living costs have made marriage and child-rearing less attainable for many young adults.

The implications for big-ticket spending are more sobering. A slowdown in household formation reduces demand for housing, large appliances, and furnishings—sectors that historically powered China’s consumer expansions.

“Household formation has slowed dramatically, and that’s weighing heavily on sectors like housing and related durable goods,” Liu Shijin, deputy director of the Development Research Center of China’s State Council, wrote in a recent report.

Investors have taken note. Shares of domestic cosmetics companies such as Shanghai Jahwa United have outperformed many retailers dependent on families and homeownership. Appliance makers focusing on compact, multifunctional devices report stronger order books than producers of large-format white goods. Fitness chains, food-delivery platforms, and pet-care companies are also emerging as winners.

China’s singles economy can’t offset the broader demographic drag, but it has become one of the few bright spots in an otherwise cautious consumer environment. As long as the number of unmarried adults continues to grow—and the data strongly suggest it will—companies that serve the needs of this expanding group may offer investors a rare pocket of resilience.

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