SEOUL, Feb. 4 (Korea Bizwire) – The number of marriages in 2014 is expected to reach an all-time low, while the number of newborns in 2014 is also expected to be low. The figures are fueling worries that low fertility rates and an aging population are becoming more imminent problems.
According to Statistics Korea (KOSTAT), the accumulated number of marriages from January to November 2014 was 271,300, while the monthly average was 24,600. The overall number of marriages in 2014, even including the December figure which has yet to be identified, is expected to be less than the record-low number of 302,500 in 2003.
KOSTAT estimated that the number of newborns in 2014 should be around 430,000 for the second consecutive year, for the first time on record.
Image Credit: Yonhap / photonews@koreabizwire.com
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