A striking finding shows that 51.3% of people in their 30s – traditionally the prime age for marriage and childbirth – are unmarried. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Nov. 1 (Korea Bizwire) – Statistics Korea released expanded results from its national census on October 30, revealing significant shifts in the country’s marriage and demographic patterns.
According to the census, among 42.94 million South Korean citizens aged 18 and over, 12.68 million (29.5%) have never been married, while 24.32 million (56.6%) are married with living spouses. The remaining 5.95 million (13.8%) are either widowed or divorced.
A striking finding shows that 51.3% of people in their 30s – traditionally the prime age for marriage and childbirth – are unmarried. The trend is particularly pronounced in Seoul, where 62.8% of people in their 30s are single, while Sejong recorded the lowest rate at 34.4%.
Gender disparities in marriage rates are evident, with 34.2% of men remaining unmarried compared to 24.9% of women.
The census also highlighted Korea’s aging demographic challenges. The elderly dependency ratio – the number of elderly persons supported by every 100 working-age individuals – has reached 27.3, surpassing the youth dependency ratio of 15.9.
In response to these demographic challenges, including low birth rates, aging population, and regional population decline, Statistics Korea is expanding its census data publication.
Starting from the end of this month, new detailed statistics will be available through KOSIS (the Korean Statistical Information Service), including regional youth and elderly dependency ratios, aging index, population and household data for disabled persons, and microdata on multicultural households.
“We hope these newly available census results will serve as fundamental data for developing key policies to address our population crisis,” said Statistics Korea Commissioner Lee Hyoung-il.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
