Number of marriages registered in South Korea 1981-2023

In 2023, South Korea recorded one of the lowest numbers of marriages since 1981, with only 193,657 couples getting married. The trend of shunning marriage has been particularly noticeable in recent years, with the number of marriages drastically decreasing by over 40 percent compared to ten years ago.

Changing perceptions of marriage

An increasing number of people in South Korea, particularly women, are choosing not to get married. According to a survey conducted in 2023, only around 30 percent of women saw marriage as a necessity, compared to almost 60 percent of men. The most common reasons for not getting married were a lack of financial resources and simply not seeing the need for it. 

Demographic challenges

With more people remaining single and not having children, the birth rate in South Korea has dropped to the lowest in the world, reaching a record low of 0.72 births per woman in 2023. The government has tried to tackle the problem of population decline and aging through various measures, so far with little success.