The number of marriages recorded in South Korea saw a drop of 40% over the last 10 years, giving pause to the government which is already dealing with a declining birthrate. The number of marriages recorded in 2023 was 193,673 while it was 322,807 in 2013 — which shows a decrease of 40% within a decade. According to data from the December 2023 Population Trends Survey by Statistics Korea, last year South Korea experienced significant demographic shifts which were characterized by declines in marriage and birth rates. Another alarming trend, according to the survey, was the sharp fall in second births, which dropped to 91,700 in 2023 — the first time this number has gone below 100,000. This decline is part of a broader trend of decreasing fertility, with the number of second and subsequent births having plummeted by 40% since 2018. Financial concerns, notably the cost of wedding expenses and housing, are the primary barriers to marriage for many South Koreans in their 20s and 30s, the survey says. These economic challenges surpass other reasons for not marrying, such as a lack of interest in marriage or concerns about the burdens of childbirth and childcare. The study disclosed that in 2022, around one-third of South Koreans aged 19 to 34 harbored favorable opinions on marriage, which was a departure from the sentiment in 2012 when over half — 56.5% — of this demographic viewed marriage positively. Breaking it down by gender, 43.8% of men were in favor of marriage, in contrast to 28% of women — a significant decline from the previous rates of 66.1% for men and 46.9% for women. And age-wise, a significant change has occurred among Koreans in their 20s, with a diminishing inclination towards marriage. The marriage rate for those aged 25 to 29 fell from 59.5% in 2012 to 36.1% in 2022. In the meantime, people aged 30 to 34 displayed the strongest proclivity towards marriage, at 39.2%, although this was a decrease from 54.3% seen 10 years earlier. In 2021, a striking 97.1% of children in South Korea were born within wedlock, a rate significantly higher than the OECD average of 60%, as per Hankyoreh Shimbun. This means that there is a direct correlation between marriage rates and birth rates in the country, highlighting how changes in the former directly impact the latter. The decrease in marriages and births is further compounded by the increasing average age of marriage and childbirth, with the average age of women giving birth in 2023 reaching a historic high of 33.6 years. Words to Learn 相關詞匯 【使…仔細考慮】shǐ …zǐxì kǎolǜ give pause cause to stop and think 【傾向】qīngxiàng proclivity tendency 數(shù)據(jù)顯示，韓國結(jié)婚人數(shù)在過去十年間下降了40%，讓本已為出生率下降而頭疼的韓國政府不得不認真考慮這一問題。 2023年韓國有193673對情侶登記結(jié)婚，而2013年登記結(jié)婚的情侶有322807對，十年內(nèi)減少了40%。 韓國統(tǒng)計廳發(fā)布的《2023年12月人口動向》調(diào)查數(shù)據(jù)顯示，去年韓國經(jīng)歷了人口巨變，結(jié)婚人數(shù)和出生率都大幅降低。 調(diào)查揭露了另一個引人擔憂的趨勢，那就是二胎出生率的急劇下降。2023年韓國出生的二胎寶寶數(shù)量降至91700名，首次降到10萬以下。這反映出韓國生育率下降的大趨勢，自2018年以來韓國二胎和三胎以上出生率直線下降，降幅達40%。 調(diào)查指出，許多二三十歲的韓國年輕人不結(jié)婚，主要是由于經(jīng)濟壓力，尤其是結(jié)婚花費和住房問題。其他不結(jié)婚的理由還包括對結(jié)婚沒興趣，或者認為生養(yǎng)孩子負擔太重。 調(diào)查發(fā)現(xiàn)，2022年約有三分之一19歲至34歲的韓國人認為結(jié)婚很好，相比之下，2012年這一年齡段的韓國人有超半數(shù)（56.5%）期待結(jié)婚。 從不同性別來看，2022年有43.8%的韓國男性想要結(jié)婚，相比之下，想結(jié)婚的韓國女性只有28%，相比2012年的66.1%和46.9%大幅下降。 從不同年齡段來看，二十幾歲的韓國人結(jié)婚意愿顯著下降。25歲至29歲的韓國人結(jié)婚率從2012年的59.5%降至2022年的36.1%。與此同時，30歲至34歲的韓國人的結(jié)婚意愿最強，達到了39.2%，但相比十年前的54.3%也顯著下降。 據(jù)《韓民族日報》報道，2021年，韓國多達97.1%的兒童是婚生子女，遠遠高于經(jīng)濟合作與發(fā)展組織60%的平均水平。這意味著韓國的結(jié)婚率和出生率之間有著直接關系，凸顯出結(jié)婚率的改變對出生率的直接影響。 韓國女性平均婚育年齡逐年上升，使得結(jié)婚率和出生率下降的問題進一步惡化。2023年韓國女性平均生育年齡達到33.6歲，創(chuàng)下歷史新高。 (chinadaily.com.cn) | 