Increase in Marriages with Foreign Partners in South Korea for the Third Year Running in 2024

Synopsis

In 2024, South Korea witnessed a rise in marriages between locals and foreign spouses, marking the third consecutive year of growth. The statistics reveal significant changes in multicultural marriages, divorce rates, and birth rates, reflecting evolving social dynamics within the country.

Key Takeaways

Marriages between South Koreans and foreign spouses increased for the third year.
Vietnamese women are the most common foreign brides.
Divorce rates among multicultural couples decreased in 2024.
The fertility rate saw a resurgence for the first time in nine years.
Birth rates increased, breaking a nine-year decline.

Seoul, March 20 (NationPress) Data released on Thursday indicates that the number of marriages between South Koreans and foreign partners has increased for the third straight year in 2024. The total number of multicultural marriages reached 20,759 in the previous year, which is an increase of 1,042 from 19,717 in the year before, according to information from Statistics Korea as reported by Yonhap news agency.

The count of international marriages saw a significant drop to approximately 15,000 in 2020 from around 24,000 in 2019, and it further decreased to about 13,000 in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the figures began to recover with 16,666 cases in 2022.

In the last year, multicultural marriages made up 9.3 percent of all marriages in South Korea, a decline from 10.1 percent the prior year.

Among foreign wives, Vietnamese women represented the largest portion at 32.1 percent, followed by Chinese women at 16.7 percent and Thai women at 13.7 percent. For foreign husbands, those from the United States comprised 28.9 percent, with China at 17.6 percent and Vietnam at 15 percent.

The number of divorces among multicultural couples saw a 1.4 percent decrease year-on-year, totaling 6,022 in 2024.

Additionally, the number of births in South Korea increased for the first time in nine years in 2024, attributed to a post-pandemic surge in marriages, changing views on parenthood, and demographic shifts, according to the statistics agency. In total, 238,300 babies were born last year, marking a 3.6 percent rise from a record low of 230,000 in 2023. This figure has been on a decline since 2015, when it was at 438,400.

The total fertility rate—the average number of children a woman is projected to have over her lifetime—also increased for the first time in nine years, reaching 0.75 in 2024, up from 0.72 the previous year.