Marriage Rate

[Anchor Lead]

The number of marriages further dropped and Korea posted a record low marriage rate in 2018. Economic conditions for the younger generation have not improved and the population of 30 something people is also declining.

[Pkg]

Some 257-thousand-600 couples tied the knot in 2018, down by 68-hundred from the previous year. It's the lowest level in 47 years. In the 1990s, the annual count of marriages was in the 400-thousand range. Recently, the figure has fallen for seven years straight. To put it into perspective, this means about five marriages per 1,000 people, the lowest ratio ever since related data was first compiled. Five percent decrease in the population of men and women in their early 30s are seen as the key contributing factor. Tight economic conditions in housing and jobs also played a role as more couples likely put off getting married or gave up on it altogether. While housing costs increased from a decade ago, the unemployment rate among those in their late 20s also went up. The sharpest drop in marriage was found among men in their early 30s and women in their late 20s, commonly viewed as the best age for tying the knot. The average age of first marriage also rose by 0.2 years for both genders. The expanding social view that matrimony is no longer a must has also been a factor.

[Soundbite] Kim Jin(Statistics Korea) : "Latest survey shows the percentage of people who consider marriage a necessity or think it's better to marry sharply dropped to 48.1% in 2018."

Meanwhile the number of divorces stood at 108,700 last year. Couples who stayed together for over 2 decades accounted for the highest percentage of this total.