According to Statistics Korea data released on March 19, Korea has a total of 3 couples getting married in 193.657, an increase of 2023% compared to 1,0 couples getting married in 191.690, marking an increase. first since 2022.
A wedding in Seoul, Korea. Photo: Reuters
However, the 2023 figure is still much lower than the 239.159 marriages in 2019, and compared to the average of more than 320.000 marriages per year recorded in the previous 10 years.
Couples delaying their weddings because of the COVID-19 pandemic is a contributing factor to more marriages in the second half of 2022 and the first half of 2023, a government official said.
In 2020, when South Korea began imposing restrictions because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of marriages dropped by 10,7%. A year later, the number of marriages fell by 9,8% as restrictions were not eased.
In a press conference, the official said: “In the second half of 2023, the number of marriages decreased compared to the same period last year, showing that those who had postponed marriage due to COVID-19 are now mostly married. kiss".
South Korea's 2023 increase is also much lower than the increase in neighboring China, where the marriage rate rose 12,4% last year, as more couples got married after delays. postponed due to the pandemic.
Most Koreans say high housing costs are the biggest obstacle to getting married. Marriage is considered a prerequisite for having children in this Asian country.
South Korea's birth rate, already the lowest in the world, continues to plummet in 2023, as women delay or choose not to have children because of concerns about their careers and the cost of raising children.
A recent survey of 500 South Koreans between the ages of 19 and 23 found that 50,4% of respondents had no plans to get married or have children, Yonhap news agency reported.
South Korea's government has vowed to introduce "extraordinary measures" to tackle the low birth rate, with promises of public housing and easier loans for South Korean youth ahead of legislative elections. France in April.
Ngoc Anh (according to Reuters)
