The decline in marriages is directly affecting the number of births, which has been decreasing for eight consecutive years since peaking at 438,420 in 2015. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Mar. 3 (Korea Bizwire) –In the last ten years, South Korea has seen a significant 40% decrease in the number of marriages, casting uncertainty on the premise of childbirth in a country where marriage traditionally precedes starting a family.
Statistics Korea’s December 2023 population trends report and data from the Korean Statistical Information Service (KOSIS) indicate a provisional count of 193,673 marriages last year, a stark drop from the 322,807 recorded in 2013.
After fluctuating until 2011, the number of marriages began a consistent decline in 2012, continuing for 11 years through 2022, which saw 191,690 marriages. Although 2022 experienced a slight increase of 1,983 marriages (1%) due to weddings postponed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the future trend of marriage rates remains uncertain.
Quarterly data showed an increase in marriages up until the second quarter of last year but saw decreases of 8.2% and 5.5% in the third and fourth quarters, respectively.
Experts attribute the significant drop in marriage rates to changing perceptions of marriage. According to a social survey by Statistics Korea, the proportion of people aged 13 and above who believe marriage is essential dropped from 20.3% in 2012 to 15.3% in 2022.
Similarly, the positive view of marriage decreased from 42.4% to 34.8%, while those indifferent to marriage rose from 33.6% to 43.2%.
Economic factors, such as the cost of weddings and securing housing, also pose barriers to marriage. In 2022, 32.7% of people in their 20s, 33.7% in their 30s, and 23.8% in their 40s cited lack of funds for marriage expenses as the main reason for remaining unmarried.
The decline in marriages is directly affecting the number of births, which has been decreasing for eight consecutive years since peaking at 438,420 in 2015. The drop in marriage rates starting in 2012 led to a decline in birth rates four years later.
Births fell from 436,455 in 2013 to 230,000 last year, a 47.3% decrease, with the influence of dual-income, childless couples contributing to the steeper decline compared to marriage rates.
Last year’s total fertility rate hit a record low of 0.72 children per woman, with the pandemic’s impact on marriages potentially driving the rate even lower than the projected 0.68 for this year.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
