According to data published on Thursday, the number of South Koreans who got married in 2022 has reached the lowest level since 1970, writes AFP. South Korea has the lowest birth rate in the world, with the lowest number of births recorded last year.

According to Statistics Korea (KOSTAT), about 192,000 couples got married last year. This is the lowest figure since 1970, when the first statistics on the subject were published. This is also a 40% decrease compared to 2012, when 327,000 couples got married.

In terms of the first marriage, the average age of the spouse reached the highest level: 33.7 years for the husband and 31.3 years for the wife, respectively 1.6 years and 1.9 years higher than 10 years ago for the first marriage.

A sharp decline in the birth rate

In addition to declining marriages, South Korea is experiencing a chronic decline in birth rates, with 2022 recording its lowest number of births (249,000), also surpassing the record set last year.

The country has long been below replacement level for generational change, with a rate of 0.78 births per woman last year.

Since 2006, the government has spent nearly 280 trillion won (€200 billion) to boost the birth rate, but South Korea’s population is expected to shrink from about 52 million to 39 million by 2067, with an expected median age of 62.

Experts believe that there are several reasons for this twin phenomenon of declining marriage and birth rates, namely the high cost of education for children and housing in a competitive society where it is difficult to get paid work.

According to experts, a key factor is also the double burden on mothers, who, in addition to their professional careers, have to deal with most of the household chores and child care. (Source: Agerpres / Photo: Dreamstime.com)