South Korea Sees Newlywed Numbers Dip Below 1 Million in 2023, Nearly 50% Childless
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Seoul, Dec 10 (NationPress) The count of newly married couples in South Korea has dipped below 1 million for the first time in 2023, with almost half without children, as indicated by data released on Tuesday.
Statistics Korea reported that the number of newlyweds stood at 974,000 in the previous year, a decrease from 1.03 million the year before, as per Yonhap news agency.
This is the first instance where the number of newlyweds has fallen beneath 1 million since the agency commenced its data collection in 2015.
The figures have shown a consistent decline from 1.47 million in 2015 to 1.32 million in 2018 and 1.18 million in 2020. On average, the annual decline is between 50,000 to 80,000 couples.
In 2023, 47.5% of newlywed couples were childless, marking an increase of 1.1 percentage points from the previous year.
South Korea faces challenges with a low birth rate and an ageing population, as a significant number of young individuals choose to delay or forgo marriage and parenthood due to evolving social norms, high housing costs, a challenging job market, and economic downturns.
The total fertility rate in 2023 dropped to 0.72, the lowest since 1970, far below the replacement level of 2.1 necessary to maintain a stable population of 52 million.
Despite efforts to increase the fertility rate to 1 by 2030, South Korea is implementing a range of measures to combat its chronic demographic issues, including the world's lowest birth rate.
The presidential committee on population policy recently announced plans for up to 70% of fathers to take parental leave by 2030, a significant rise from just 6.8% in 2022, according to the Presidential Committee on Ageing Society and Population Policy.
This announcement coincides with expected modifications to parental leave policies set to begin next year.
Currently, both mothers and fathers can take up to one year of parental leave, which may be divided into three segments.
Starting in February, if both parents take at least three months of leave, each parent's total leave period could extend to 18 months, divisible into four segments.
The government also aims to lower the rate of women facing career interruptions due to childbirth to 10% by 2030, compared to 22.3% this year.
