A joint wedding ceremony of multicultural couples takes place in Seoul on October, 2017. (Yonhap)
JEJU, Jan. 30 (Korea Bizwire) — The proportion of multicultural marriages on Jeju Island is the highest in the country, a recent report showed.
According to data from the Jeju Branch of the Honam Regional Statistical Office, Jeju accounted for 6.6 percent (881 couples) of first-time newly married couples as of 2018.
This figure is 2.1 percentage points higher than the national average of 4.5 percent and the highest in the country.
The figure was based on newlyweds. Newlywed here indicates married couple registered for fewer than five years. The statics are tallied on November 1 every year.
As of November 1, 2018, 18,387 newly married couples reside in Jeju, the second largest number in the country after South Jeolla Province, with 5,034 couples (27.4 percent).
Meanwhile, the age difference between spouses was analyzed as well. In 67.2 percent of couples, the husband was older, while in 18.6 percent the wife was older. Some 14.2 percent were the same age.
The number of newlyweds who have given birth to their first children accounted for 62.9 percent of the total, with the average number of babies born standing at 0.81.
On average, 0.84 were born in single-income families, compared with 0.79 for double-income couples, while 0.87 were born in families that owned a house, and 0.77 were born to families without their own house.
The average length of time it took to give birth to the first child was 13.9 months, and the average gap between the first and second child was 24.4 months.
Some 48.4 percent of newly married couples worked together, followed by 55.3 percent in Seoul, 52.8 percent in Sejong and 48.8 percent in Gwangju.
D. M. Park (dmpark@koreabizwire.com)
